Beautiful In Blue
by 10Blue10
Summary: New Summary: After their adventure together on House, the Doctor never expected to talk to his TARDIS again. He certainly never dreamed that her return would plunge them both straight into that most terrifying, wonderful adventure; parenthood.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter One 

The TARDIS could hardly believe she was walking around London. Her, walking! She'd spent weeks creating this body, and her Thief had gone for a walk before she finished, so the TARDIS went to look for him. It was a good thing she always knew where he was, because the world around her was just a little…distracting. "Ooh!" she exclaimed, running over to smell a bouquet of fuchsias. "These are very pretty, I wonder if the Pretty One would like them? Oh, no, he's gone. And the Orange One too, they have a Child, my Child, do you think she'd like them?" she asked the stall owner.

The woman running the flower stall looked nervously at the TARDIS. It had to be said, her tattered gown and birds nest hair made the TARDIS look much like the madwoman she was. "Do you think the water song child will like them? Likes them, has liked them?" The TARDIS frowned in puzzlement. "Err, y-yes, I'm sure she would. Here, have some for free" said the stall owner. The TARDIS beamed at her and wandered off, clutching the flowers to her chest.

She wondered for a moment why everyone will be, was giving her odd looks; then she spotted a tasty looking cake in a bakery window across the street. She started walking towards it when - _Screech! _"Hey, lady!" yelled the man driving the silver Toyota, that had almost hit the TARDIS. "Use your eyes!" The TARDIS frowned at him. "You're rude" she informed him shortly, before swanning across the road and up to the window. She'd never had cake before, but she knew it was supposed to taste nice.

The baker looked up as the TARDIS entered. "Can I help you?" he asked in a bored voice. The TARDIS smiled brightly at him. "You're…opposite of rude…polite! Yes. Can I have some cake, please?" she asked. She remembered now, humans always said please when they asked for something. "What sort of cake?" asked the baker. That stumped her; she didn't know about cake. What sort of cake did her Thief like? "Err, chocolate. Yes, that's it. Chocolate cake" she nodded confidently.

He cut a slice of chocolate cake and placed it on a paper plate. "That'll be six pounds fifty" he grunted. The TARDIS looked at him blankly. "You know, to pay for it. This isn't a charity shop, honey". Oh, of course, payment. "Pay, with money? I don't think I have any" muttered the TARDIS. "Sorry. No cash, no cake". The baker swiped the slice out of her reach. "But I want cake. Thief will have some money, I'm sure. I will return shortly" the TARDIS said firmly. Then she left the bakery, still holding the flowers.

Now she had to find her Thief. Where was he now? The TARDIS reached out her mind for him. She felt his jolt of surprise, and then elation. He was a warm word…happy! Why was he happy? He thought she was a Time Lady. She had the body of a Time Lady but she was something completely new. Eventually, the two time travellers came face to face in a park. The Doctor stared at the TARDIS. "What?" he asked, bewildered. She giggled at his confused face.

The Doctor approached her cautiously, and reached out a finger to poke her in the shoulder. "Do you have money?" the TARDIS asked out of the blue. "What? How can you even be...why aren't you in your box?" he asked. "I was bored. You weren't inside me when I made this body so I came looking for you". A nearby jogger picked up his pace as he passed them. "Shh, keep your voice down. Wait, hang on, you've been walking around all day in _that_?" the Doctor said incredulously, gesturing to her Victorian gown.

She tilted her head in puzzlement. _It's kind of cute when she does that- no, focus Doctor! _"What do you need money for? Oh no…don't tell me you stole those flowers" he groaned. The TARDIS gave him an indignant pout. "You are the only thing I wish to steal, my Doctor. The nice lady gave them to me. They're for the child, the song water child that likes guns" she explained, and added "I need money to pay for chocolate cake – what was that?" she asked, startled.

The Doctor bit his lip and said "That was your stomach growling. Okay, err, let's find a café and get you something to eat". They entered a small, crowded establishment a few streets from the park. "Do they have chocolate cake here?" asked the TARDIS. "Probably, let's have something savoury first. How does a hamburger and chips sound?" suggested the Doctor. They were tucked into the back corner of the café, half hidden behind a potted plant. "I'd like to try chips. I think I'd like to try everything".

The Doctor placed their substantial order with the surly waitress. "Oh, and can we have some of those little biscuits to dunk in our tea?" he added. The TARDIS didn't exactly enjoy _everything _the Doctor convinced her to eat, but it was still fun, and the cake tasted even better than she'd hoped. On the walk back to the box, the TARDIS asked incessant questions about everything around her. The Doctor answered them as patiently as he could, but when they were inside the box, he spun to face her and said "Okay, I've answered all your questions, now will you please answer mine?"

She nodded and cleared her throat. "Do you remember when we talked, all those years ago? Ever since then, I've wondered what it would be like to be human. Ah, not human – Time Lady. I didn't see the point in recreating a body if it was simply going to die again" she began. "When I sensed you I thought…never mind. So you can regenerate?" questioned the Doctor. He had to be sure. "Yes" the TARDIS replied firmly. "After this body died…again…and dissolved, I managed to save a sample of DNA".

"Then we were running, so fast and far, and now that you're safe", here she smiled fondly at him, "I decided to use it. So I used the basic components of _your _DNA, Thief, to alter the cells from human to Time Lady. Of course, I can't hold form in a flesh body, so I bonded some of my own coral DNA to the structure. I suppose you could say that I'm part human, part Time Lady and part TARDIS". The Doctor gave an impressed whistle. "I'm impressed, old girl. Okay, let me see – you're sure that body can contain your soul without any side effects" he stated.

The TARDIS nodded. "I didn't insert my entire Matrix in here, merely an…echo, of sorts, of my consciousness. Any form of energy I intake, even food and drink, will be converted by the coral cells to huon energy to sustain me indefinitely" she clarified. The Doctor frowned as her words sunk in. "Hang on, so that means…the more energy is in a food, the more…well, that explains a lot" he chuckled. "Err, you're going to need a name, aren't you? A proper name, I mean, Sexy isn't a proper name and you know it. I suppose we could just call you Idris" he suggested indifferently.

"I'm not sure about that. I feel rather guilty about using the poor girls body, I don't want to steal her identity as well" said the TARDIS. The Doctor tugged nervously on his bowtie; he had barely given any thought to the woman who came before his TARDIS. "So what would you like to be called?" he asked, to change the subject. "I quite like the name Anna" she mused, and then clapped her hands with a suddenness that made her Thief jump. "I'm going to the wardrobe. You can fix the couplings on the atom accelerator whilst you're waiting".

Half an hour later, the Doctor looked up from his work at the sound of footsteps. Anna had changed out of her impractical attire, into blue jeans, a white and blue striped shirt and a TARDIS blue trench coat, similar to the one he'd worn in his tenth incarnation. "Err, you look nice" he said awkwardly. Anna beamed at him. "You've done a good job. Thank you" she smiled, and abruptly pounced on him. The Doctor stiffened as her lips touched his, but before he could make up his mind whether to hold her or not, she'd pulled away.

"There's an uprising on the planet Peridor. How do furious leaders, explosions and lots of running sound?" Anna asked cheerfully. A wide grin spread across the Doctor's face. "Sounds wonderful, dear" he said nonchalantly, as they flew the box together. It shook a lot less than usual, with no opposition from its pilot. They pulled down the handbrake as one and shouted with glee, "Geronimo!"

_A/N: With regards to the name 'Anna' – it's a vague nod to Surranne Jones, and Susannah Leah (the girl who designed the junk TARDIS for a Blue Peter comp.) _


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue

Chapter Two

For four weeks, the Doctor and Anna roamed the universe, with no company but each other. They went everywhere from the depths of the Atlantic to the streets of New Athens. Eventually the Doctor suggested they took a break, and so they found themselves on the planet Spa. "All the continents here are named after those gels humans like to plaster all over themselves. I believe this one is Aloe Vera. It's the" – "most popular tourist destination in this quadrant and recieves seven billion visitors each year" finished Anna. She knew it annoyed him when she completed his sentences, so she did it often as possible.

Whilst the Doctor headed for the gym, as he put it, to "pump the iron, feel the burn, drink the beer", Anna explored the city like spa complex on her own. She used some spare psychic paper to convince everyone she was royalty and entitled to free treatment. Then she would 'graciously' pay the staff, and they would practically kneel before her and praise her name. Anna made a mental note to let River borrow the paper for a trip here. She knew her Child would enjoy being treated like a queen.

Anna gradually became aware of an ache in her abdomen. It wasn't unbearable, but it was still very uncomfortable, and it wouldn't go away. The last time that Anna had felt pain like this was back on House, and the thought struck her that perhaps she was dying again. No, she couldn't be…she'd done her utmost to ensure this body would survive. It was capable of healing wounds that would force a Time Lord to regenerate, so it couldn't be failing a mere couple of fortnights after its creation.

She tried to ignore the ache, and carry on as if nothing was wrong. The sensation neither lessened nor increased; it felt like a band of some stiff material was encircling her waist, tightening it. Anna knew that she should contact the Doctor, but really, what would be the point? He'd only get emotional if he thought she was dying, and that was when he made mistakes. Anna wasn't an expert on even her own body, and for all she knew, the ache would be gone by tomorrow (or at least what passed for tomorrow when you were a time machine avatar).

Glancing at her watch, Anna was shocked to discover that it was close to evening, and the Doctor wanted them to have dinner in a restaurant together. He was waiting outside the domed building, dressed in his favourite tuxedo, top hat and all. Anna stepped down from the hover cart and thanked the driver, who bowed awkwardly over his steering wheel. "Any time, your Majesty" he said obligingly as he drove away.

The Doctor wasn't sure where to place his gaze. Anna was wearing a perfectly cut, flowing dress, midnight blue in shade. Diamantes were scattered across it like the stars in the galaxy, twinkling and sparkling in the glow of the burning torches. A few days after their first adventure she'd messily cut her own hair; now it was styled in waves flowing to her shoulders. "Ah, yes…you're…that is, you look lovely, dear" he stammered. Anna smiled and said that he looked very good himself. They linked arms and entered the restaurant.

They ordered roast beef and vegetables, and the Doctor didn't seem to notice Anna's discomfort. The sharp scent of burning wax filled her nose, and she pushed the candle away when the Doctor's back was turned. The restaurant was horribly noisy, and the overhead lights hurt her eyes. Anna hoped she would feel better after eating. The robot waiter placed two heaped, steaming plates in front of them. "Yum. Bon appetit, old girl" smiled the Doctor.

The smell of the food, the candle and everything around her was overpowering, and her aching stomach hurt terribly. She lifted a forkful of mashed potato to her mouth, chewed and swallowed. A fierce burning rose up to her throat; Anna scrambled out of her chair and ran to the restroom. Finally realising that something was very wrong, the Doctor hesitated a moment before going after her. Anna locked herself in the first empty stall and vomited.

Why was this happening to her? Was she really dying? "Anna, what's wrong?" asked the Doctor, from the other side of the door. "Thief, I" – she retched again, before unlocking the door and stumbling out. A green skinned alien came in and stared at the Doctor. "Oh, hello, sorry, could you give us a minute?" he asked, smiling his most charming smile. The alien gave him a 'you're insane' look and backed out. He sighed in relief and turned back to Anna.

"Anna, how long have you been ill?" he asked quietly. "My stomach has ached for several hours now" she admitted. "I didn't want you to worry". The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his mess of brown hair. "Come on, let's get you back to the box". They ran back to the time machine, and Anna sank into the jump seat. She was exhausted and afraid. The Doctor went over to the console and switched on the scanner. "Med-scan – no not me, her" he said, jabbing a thumb at Anna.

From where she was sitting, Anna could not see the screen, but she couldn't miss the pure shock on the Doctor's face. "Impossible" he whispered. "What is it?" Anna asked worriedly. She tried to stand up, but her legs felt like sponge and she could barely sit up straight. "Thief, you're getting emotional. Stop it. Just tell me what's wrong!" she begged him. "It's not possible! Redo the scan" he ordered aloud. The results were just the same.

The Doctor took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Then he walked over to Anna and knelt in front of her, looking her in the eye. "TARDIS" he said seriously. "I'm sorry for getting emotional, but this is something big, and I don't know what to do. I need you to be very, very brave from now on". Anna swallowed nervously. "Please don't say I'm dying" she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "You're not dying" murmured the Doctor, but Anna's relief was short lived. He cupped her face in his hands and told her the truth. "You're pregnant".


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue

Chapter Three

_I can't be. _Anna stared at the Doctor unseeing, lost in a haze of shock. There was no possible way she could be pregnant; naïve, Anna might be, but she _did_ know how infants were created. "I c-can't be…we haven't..." she gasped. "I know we haven't err, done anything. I don't understand it either but I promise you, I will figure this out" said the Doctor. He kissed her forehead, before standing up and beginning to pace back and forth.

"Okay, the obvious explanation doesn't fit since we…well anyway, could it have been something the people at the spa gave you?" he asked. Anna frowned in thought and shook her head. "I don't think so. Besides, why would they want to… make me pregnant?" The word sounded foreign on her tongue; this whole debacle was unreal. "Oh, fifty first century humans- you've met Jack, you get the picture. Wait; Anna, if anything you eat is dissolved and turned into huon energy…"

Anna nodded at his unspoken question. "I expelled a cloud of huon particles. That must be why I'm so weak" she murmured; then her eyes widened. "Pregnant, coral…Thief! Help me to the infirmary, I think I know but I have to be sure" Anna cried urgently. The Doctor hurried over and put an arm around her waist, supporting her on the walk from the console room to the infirmary. Anna struggled over to the DNA scanner and requested a full body scan.

She sat down heavily on the nearest bed. "It's all my fault…I'm sorry". The Doctor sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Calm down, old girl, it's not your fault; this isn't even a 'fault' kind of thing. Just tell me what you think is happening" he coaxed her. "I don't 'think', I know" she sighed impatiently. "My DNA is one part human, one part Time Lord and one part coral. It's the coral that makes me a TARDIS, without it I'd just be…inside a body. But the human and Time Lord DNA; yours and Idris', there must have been some" –

"Left over" they said at the same time. "And your body reformed those bits of DNA as new cells, in your womb. Like a biological progenitor" finished the Doctor. "I can't change it. I can't do anything about this. I'm scared". Anna sobbed into the Doctor's shoulder, as the full weight of the revelation came crashing down on her. There was no going back now...Anna didn't ask to be pregnant, but she couldn't bear the thought of destroying a life before it had even begun.

The Doctor held her and hushed her, smoothing his hand down her back. The pleasingly familiar sensation soothed Anna until her weeping ceased. Something occurred to the Doctor, and his eyes were filled with love as he whispered "Anna…you know what this means? We're parents". They both smiled weakly at each other, filled with awe now that the shock was wearing off. Without thinking, Anna placed a hand gently on her belly. "A new race of Time Lords" she agreed.

They stayed in each other's arms for a while longer. Then the Doctor fetched Anna a pair of pyjamas, so she could rest comfortably. "I'll err, just give you some privacy" he said awkwardly. Outside in the corridor, the Doctor's thoughts began churning. Anna had made a mistake, but he didn't blame her for it. He just didn't know how they were going to cope; their lives were danger and running, could they really raise a child? The Doctor reminded himself that the running was not everything there was.

Would this affect Anna's ability to time travel? Sometimes he forgot she was actually his TARDIS, until she reminded him of an old adventure or said something so bewildering that even he had trouble following. Oh Rassilon, his TARDIS was pregnant. She was his TARDIS, and she was carrying his child. The thought of being a father again both terrified and awed the Doctor. That started him thinking about another father, and his daughter – the Doctor's wife.

He could build a perception filter to hide Anna's pregnancy; River never had to know. How could he ever explain this to her? The Doctor knew that River and the TARDIS had a strong bond; but would she even accept Anna as the ship? The Doctor paced and thought and paced and thought. Eventually he came to the conclusion that if he was going to tell River, he might as well do it now and get it over with. "Anna, I'm err …I'm going to tell River, about you, and the baby, and how the baby is inside you, and how it's our baby" he rambled.

Anna looked faintly worried, but she agreed it was for the best. "I think I have enough strength left to materialise" she said tiredly. So he was right; this _was _affecting her flight. He left her with another kiss on the forehead and ran back to the console room, piloting her as carefully as possible to Storm Cage. River was standing by the bars when he emerged, smiling at him. "Hello sweetie".

He sonicked the lock open and she hurried up to him, throwing her arms around her neck and kissing him. The Doctor hugged her back, but he didn't respond to the kiss. It felt wrong to do so, given what he was about to tell her. The prison alarms began blaring and they broke apart to close the door and take off. "You're being rather reserved, must be early for you" guessed River. "Nope, I've done Utah second time around. River, there's something I have to tell you. Something important" said the Doctor.

"What's wrong?" asked River, and the Doctor hesitated. He hadn't actually thought about _how _to tell her. "The TARDIS is pregnant" he blurted. River raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Pregnant? I know the TARDIS is more than a machine, but I don't think even she's capable of that" she chuckled. This was, she assumed, some sort of joke on the Doctor's part. "Ah, well it's not – the ship isn't what's pregnant but, before your parents left there was a hypercube and patchwork people and this asteroid stuck the TARDIS in a human body and we talked". The Doctor grinned at the memory.

River's eyes widened. "Okay, I'm with you so far" she lied. "Right, good, perfect. See, a few weeks ago the TARDIS decided to recreate the body, the body is pregnant, Anna, that's her name and she's…" he trailed off, trying to gauge River's reaction. His wife narrowed her eyes at him. "Prove it" she said tightly. The Doctor swallowed and showed her the scanner. River read the words, 'ANNA – PREGNANCY CONFIRMED', and sucked in a breath.

_Thwack! _Pressing a hand to his stinging cheek, the Doctor stepped back from River. "Okay, probably deserved that" he agreed. "Damn right. How _could_ you?" she demanded loudly, slapping on the other cheek. "Ow, River!" She glared at him, the same glare her mother gave, the one he'd dubbed the Pond Look. "How could you?" she repeated, "I am stuck in prison, famed for _murder _because of you; all I've heard from you for two months is some flowers and now, I find out you've been _sleeping_ _around_!" She was shouting at him now.

The Doctor gaped at her. How in all of time and space had she got _that _impression? "Where is she?" River snarled; she headed for the stairs proclaiming "I'll show her what happens when she messes with my husband!" A hand grasped her upper arm and she pulled away, but the Doctor's grip refused to lessen. "Let go of me!" she yelled at him. "No!" he shouted back. "Not until you listen to me". For a moment River considered slapping him again; but instead, she huffed and dragged her arm out of his hold.

Fixing her with the most convincing look he could muster, the Doctor began to explain. "River Song, you are my wife. I would _never _cheat on you, even when you're being almost _humanly_ stupid and… and jumping to conclusions. Anna isn't pregnant because we slept together; I mean seriously, she's like my mother, but don't tell her I said that. Her DNA, it's human plus Time Lord, but with TARDIS coral, this stuff here", he patted the console. "Except she used my DNA and the human DNA of the body, too much of both, and _that's _what has made her pregnant" he concluded.

"So it_ is_ her fault" River said bluntly. "No! Yes, but, she didn't ask for this, and she's terrified. River" the Doctor said urgently, "I nearly didn't tell you, and now that I have please, please don't take it out on Anna" he begged her. River stared at him for a horribly tense, long moment. It felt like hours before she spoke again. "Where is this Anna?" she asked once more, but with much less venom in her voice.

The Doctor took her to the medical bay, and warned her to be very, very quiet. Anna's skin was paler than usual, and even though she was asleep her breathing was shallow. River stared at her curiously, and a little bit enviously; so this woman was her husband's TARDIS? It hardly seemed credible. "What's wrong with her?" she inquired, in hushed tones. "Anna's body doesn't work like a human, or even a Time Lord. Anything she eats, drinks or even breathes is converted into huon energy – and yet she has morning sickness".

Just then, Anna coughed up a cloud of golden gas. "Thief?" she muttered sleepily. "I'm here" he reassured her, and added encouragingly "Listen, you just have to make it to Cardiff, make it to the Rift and then you can absorb all the energy you need". Anna nodded. She glanced at River and gave her a nervous smile, before dropping her head back to the pillow. The Doctor turned to River. "Are you okay?" he asked her; she knew he meant 'are you okay with all of this?' "I don't know. I can hardly believe any of this…I'm going back to my cell. I need to think about this".

She programmed her Vortex Manipulator and disappeared in a flash of smoke. The Doctor hoped River would come to see sense; he should have known she'd be jealous. With any luck they'd avoid each other until the irascible archaeologist had a chance to calm down. Anna moaned in her sleep. The Doctor stroked a few damp strands of hair back from her forehead and returned to the console room.

_A/N: Part Three is here! Of course, now you'll have to wait until after Saturday for part four – but you'll also get a double update, because I've already written out part five! I don't procrastinate when it comes to writing fanfiction. (I do that with everything else)._

_I don't even know if the pregnancy explanation makes sense. It does in my head, but then again…_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue

Chapter Four

The Doctor entered the console room to find Anna staring gravely at the scanner. It had been a week since the discovery of her pregnancy, and apart from a short spell of exhaustion, she was coping, and coming to terms with it all. "I picked up a transmission, a distress call" she told the Doctor.

"Where from?" he asked. Anna's lip twisted in worry. "Skaro".

The Doctor held up a leather strap with a white circle. "Put this on your wrist" he instructed. As Anna did so, the Doctor explained what it was for. "The circle turns green if the baby is safe and red if it's in danger".

"What do I do if it turns red?"

"Get back here as fast as you can and then…I don't know, really. This isn't my forte" he reminded her.

"Nor is it mine, but I appreciate the concern". Anna stood on tiptoes and kissed the Doctor on the cheek. "So, my Thief, are we going to answer this message? The same one has been sent five times, whoever it is must be extremely anxious to see you". The Doctor really wanted Anna to stay behind, but he knew she'd never stand for it. They landed on the desolate planet, the TARDIS safely hidden behind a still standing wall.

A woman was waiting for them in the midst of a wrecked building. She turned at the sound of footsteps. "We got your message" said the Doctor, "not many people can do that, send us messages". Anna decided to remain quiet; she felt horribly uncomfortable on this planet as it was. "I have a daughter, Hannah. She's in the Dalek prison camps. They say you can help" the woman begged the Doctor. He gave her a rather sour look and replied "Do they? I wish they'd stop".

He walked over to survey the planet. "It's an odd meeting place" commented Anna. "They said I'd have to intrigue you" replied the woman, addressing the Doctor instead of her, to her slight irritation. "Skaro. The original planet of the Daleks. Look at the state of it" the Doctor said in distaste. "Who told you about me?"

"Does it matter?"

"Maybe not, but you're very well informed". He walked over and pulled down her hood. Anna watched them both warily, placing one hand on her stomach. "If Hannah's in a Dalek prison camp, tell me, why aren't you?"

The woman stared at him earnestly. "I escaped" she insisted, but the Doctor merely chuckled mirthlessly. "No. Nobody escapes the Dalek prison camps". He touched her hand, and then her neck. "Anna, run".

"Why?"

"What's wrong?"

The Doctor looked around. "You're a trap. And you don't even know it" he said, backing away from the woman. She shuddered and twitched; a small Dalek eyestalk protruded from her forehead, a Dalek gun from her hand. One sudden blast sent the Doctor sprawling on the ground. "Doctor!" cried Anna, running to his side. Another burst of light, and she sank into darkness. The last thing she heard was the grating metallic voice of a Dalek.

Anna awoke in a clinical white room, where she and the Doctor were guarded by two golden Daleks. Slowly, she sat up, and surreptitiously checked the band around her wrist. To her relief it was glowing green. Then Anna turned her attention to the unconscious Time Lord, and muttered "Doctor, wake up now. Doctor?"

He groaned and opened his eyes blearily. "Where are we?" he asked. "**Do not engage in conversation**" ordered one Dalek. _Never mind then _thought the Doctor. "**Amy Pond and Rory Williams have been acquired. You will stand. Stand! Stand!**" demanded the Daleks. The Doctor and Anna helped each other to their feet. The Doctor noticed Anna's green wristband and smiled briefly, before sobering again.

They were escorted down a short corridor. Up ahead, the Doctor heard Rory ask "…much trouble _are_ we in?" As he followed the Dalek into the room he said "How much trouble, Mr Pond? Out of ten, eleven".

Amy and Rory stared at the Doctor, and then at Anna. She smiled nervously at them. Before questions could be asked or introductions made, the ceiling opened up and the floor rose. They emerged into a massive coliseum, every inch of it filled with Daleks. A shiver went up Anna's spine at the sight of so much concentrated hate. Her police box was there too, which didn't really make Anna feel any better.

"Where are we? Spaceship, right?" guessed Amy.

"Not just any spaceship. The Parliament of the Daleks" replied the Doctor. He looked at Anna, Rory and Amy and told them, "be brave".

"What do we do?"

"Make them remember you" said the Doctor, his voice low and dangerous. Anna knew he expected the Daleks to exterminate him; she wasn't sure why they weren't all dead already.

The Doctor walked away from them. "Come on, then. You've got me. At long last, it's Christmas! Here I am!" He spread his arms, more or less welcoming the Daleks to take a shot at him, and screwed his eyes shut. Anna wanted to cry out, do something, but her throat was dry and her legs would not move. For a moment tenser than a taut wire, nothing happened, and then – "**Save us**".

The Doctor opened one eye. "**You will save us**". He spun to face the Dalek mutant, brow furrowed in bewilderment. He'd rather expected to be dead by now. "I'll what?"

"**You will save the Daleks**". They all took up the chant. "**Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks!**"

The Doctor was so surprised, and pleased to still be alive, that he couldn't resist cracking a little joke. With a small, puzzled smile, he said "Well, this is new!"

/

_New indeed _thought Anna. Something was extremely very not right, as her Thief would say. She noticed Amy giving her a sideways glance; when Anna looked at her, Amy jumped slightly and said "Err, hi. Sorry but, didn't you die?"

Anna tilted her head at the Daleks, and placed a finger on her lips. "My name's Anna" she replied in a low voice. Rory, who was watching the Doctor pace back and forth, asked "What's he doing?"

"He's chosen the most defendable position in the room, counted all the Daleks, counted all the exits, and now he's calculating the exact distance we're standing apart and starting to worry" replied Anna. She knew the Doctor better than anyone, after all.

"Oh and look at him, frowning. Something's wrong with Amy and Rory and who's going to fix it?" Amy asked sarcastically. "And he straightens his bowtie" both women said at once.

"**We have arrived**" intoned one Dalek; a red drone, by the sound of it. "Arrived where?" asked the Doctor. He was invited by the woman who had captured him and Anna, to speak to the Prime Minister. Fancy the Daleks having a Prime Minister. He'd have thought they'd go for 'President' or 'Supreme Blob'.

Amy sidled closer to Anna; luckily the Daleks attention was focused on the Doctor. "Are you who I think you are?" she whispered from the corner of her mouth. Anna pointed at the TARDIS and raised an eyebrow. Amy nodded in confirmation. Anna did the same. "**Do not engage in conversation!**" ordered the Dalek guarding them. It glided over to force them apart. Anna glared at it hatefully and stepped away from Amy, closer to the Doctor. "We weren't even talking" she muttered.

"**What do you know of the Dalek Asylum?**" asked the Prime Minister. "According to legend, you have a dumping ground. A planet, where you keep all the Daleks that go wrong. The battle scarred, the insane…the ones even _you_ can't control" replied the Doctor.

"Which doesn't even make any sense" Anna pointed out. "**And why not?**" Inquired the Prime Minister. "Because you'd just kill them" said the Doctor. That was what a Dalek did. Anything that deviated from the perfect Dalek, anything that wasn't a Dalek at all, was exterminated. That was the way it had been for centuries. _Yet they were still alive…_

The Dalek revealed that they found it offensive to destroy hatred; that they found it beautiful. Anna was just as disgusted as the Doctor by their callousness and twisted minds.

A circular opening appeared in the middle of the floor, opening straight into the planet below. The Asylum, a planet filled to the core with millions of rogue Daleks. "This signal is being received from the very heart of the asylum" explained the woman who had kidnapped Anna and the Doctor. The sound of the opera _Carmen _played through the ship's speakers. The Doctor pretended to conduct the music until Anna asked "What _are _you doing?"

"Sorry, I got buried in the midst…_Carmen_! Lovely show! Someone's transmitting this, have you considered tracking back the signal and talking to them?" Judging by lack of ear grating replies, they had not.

The Doctor managed to contact…whoever it was sending the signal. A human female, who sounded very pleased to be able to talk to someone. She identified herself as Oswin Oswald, and claimed that she'd been shipwrecked for a year, making soufflés. Except that to make soufflés one needed perishable foods like eggs and milk. Either Oswin had enough milk to last for years or something was not quite right. Anna didn't have to look at the Doctor to know that he felt the same way.

The transmission cut off. The Doctor deduced that the Daleks were too scared of the insane members of their species to infiltrate the asylum. Which meant that they did the impossible, and turned to their number one enemy…for _help_. The Predator, they called him. What was it with his enemies and giving him names? What was wrong with just plain 'Doctor'?

The Dalek woman beckoned to a pair of shoulders, one of which fitted a bracelet to the Doctor's wrist. "You'll need this. It will protect you from the nano cloud" she told him. "The what? The nano what?" he asked as the soldiers escorted him back to the others.

"The gravity beam will convey you close to the source of the transmission. You must find a way to deactivate the force-field from there" explained the woman, as a cylinder of light zoomed from the ceiling to the planet below.

"You're going to fire me at a planet! That's your plan, I get fired at a planet and expected to fix it?"

"In fairness that is slightly MRO" Rory pointed out. The Doctor stared at him in indignation. "Don't be fair to the Daleks when they're firing me at a planet! What do you want with them?" he demanded as bracelets were strapped to Rory and Amy's wrists.

"**It is known that the Doctor requires companions**" intoned a Supreme Dalek. "I've got a companion! You didn't have to drag _them_ along; I've been with Anna this whole time, why aren't you putting a bracelet thingy on her?"

"**The female is carrying offspring. She is unsuitable**". Anna scowled in annoyance and indignation. "Don't worry. I'll be back" the Doctor assured her. Then they unceremoniously pushed him into the beam.

Anna had no intention whatsoever of waiting on a Dalek ship. "What does the nano-cloud do?" she asked the Dalek woman, who replied emotionlessly "Billions of pre-programmed nanogenes convert organic matter, living or dead, into Dalek…puppets".

"I see. I just want you to know, that I'm very sorry about your daughter". With that, Anna darted forward and wrested a bracelet from the nearest soldier. She ran to the edge of the hole.

"**Desist! Desist!**" ordered the Supreme Dalek.

Anna jumped.

/

Q and A

This is just a little extra piece, where I answer some questions I've cleverly predicted you may have, to save you asking them in your reviews.

Q: Why does the woman at the start ignore Anna?

A: She just does. There's nothing in it.

Q: How do you know the Dalek that said 'We have arrived' was a drone?

A: I don't. I made that up.

Q: What does MRO stand for?

A: Not a clue. I couldn't really hear that bit properly. Does anyone know what he actually said?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue

Chapter Five

In retrospect, perhaps throwing herself into a gravity beam, without a platform to soak up the excess inertia, wasn't the best plan. The moment she hit the ground (rather painfully), Anna spluttered out a mouthful of snow and peered at her wristband scanner. It was still green; her baby was obviously strong. She staggered to her feet and looked around at the snowy landscape. There was no one in sight. Anna reached out with her mind, to find the Doctor; he wasn't too far away. She could intercept him if she went…that way. With a direction in mind, if not an actual destination, Anna set off.

After about ten minutes, she crested a rise to find the Doctor, Amy and someone she didn't recognise, all gathered around a large hole in the ground. Her boots crunched the snow and the Doctor looked up. "Anna! I told you to stay put" he protested. Anna raised an eyebrow. "You said nothing of the sort. Is that the way into the Asylum?" she asked, pointing at the hole. "Rory's down there" revealed Amy. "Rory! Rory!"

The Doctor placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. "It's too deep, he won't hear you. Besides, Rory can handle himself, mostly…just about" he said, trying to comfort her and failing spectacularly.

"No, he can't. We both know he can't and we are going to go and get him" she said in determination. Anna nodded in agreement. "Why did you come down? You're…" the Doctor gestured at Anna's stomach. "Yes, and where do you think this baby will be safer? Down here with you or up there with _them_?" she pointed out. The Doctor shrugged. "Touché" he replied.

The white coated man, Harvey, took them back to his escape pod. "We crashed down two days ago. There's twelve other escape pods, I don't know what happened to them" he explained. Amy brushed the snow aside to reveal ALASKA printed in peeling red letters. "Alaska? That's the same ship as soufflé girl" Amy commented.

"Yeah…except she's been here a year" added the Doctor. They climbed down through the hatch. "We should have some climbing rope, long enough for that hole" said Harvey. He went over to search for it. "Won't you introduce us to your crew?" asked the Doctor.

"Right, sorry. Guys, this is the Doctor, Anna and Amy". The seated figures made no response; no reaction at all. "Guys?"

Anna reached out and tapped one of the crewmembers on the shoulder. It was a skeleton. She snatched her hand away in disgust. "Oh my god" said Harvey. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "They're dead. All of them".

"That's not possible. I was just talking to them. Two hours ago we were doing engine repairs" Harvey protested.

"You've been here a year" said Anna. They all looked at her. "They've been dead for a year…and… so are you". She pointed at Harvey, who stared at her emotionlessly.

"I died outside, and the cold preserved my body. I forgot about dying" he muttered, even as the eyestalk emerged from his forehead. He took one lumbering step towards Anna. The Doctor grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed him. "Amy, the door!"

Amy quickly pressed the release switch on the door behind her, muttering "come on, come on, come on!". Blinded, spluttering, the Dalek puppet staggered through the doorway and Amy quickly pulled down the lockdown lever. The Doctor turned to the women. "Are you both alright?" he asked. They nodded, breathless.

"Explain. That's what you're good at. How'd he get all Daleked?" asked Amy. The Doctor held up his wrist, the one with his protective bracelet on. "Because he wasn't wearing one of these. Oh, oh, oh that's clever! The nanocloud, micro-organisms that automatically process any organic matter, living or dead, into a Dalek puppet. Ha, ha! Anything attacks this place, it automatically becomes part of the on-site security" he explained, in his aren't-I-clever-and-hot-when-I'm-being-so voice.

Amy and Anna looked at each other in horror. "Living or dead?" asked Amy. "These wristbands protect us, the only thing keeping us from going the same way as"-

"Doctor, _shut_ _up_! Living or dead?" repeated Amy. "Yes, exactly, living or…or…" The corpses stirred, eyestalks protruding from their skulls. "Dead" finished the Doctor.

Fortunately, the Dalek puppets weren't very fast, giving the Doctor, Anna and Amy time to dodge them. One of them grabbed Amy's arm; she screamed for the Doctor. Anna prised the cold clammy fingers from Amy's wrist and shoved it away as hard as she could. The Doctor flicked the lockdown switch.

Amy grinned breathlessly. "Thanks" she told Anna, and then looked at the Doctor. "Is it bad that I've really missed this?" she asked cheekily.

"Yes!"

"Good!"

"I know!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "There are skeletons behind us, and a lot of unknown dangers ahead. Would you mind talking about this some other time?" she inquired, a little crossly. "Unauthorised personnel may not enter the cockpit" announced the soufflé girl, Oswin, over what was presumably the intercom.

"Shut up"

"Mr Grumpy. Bad combo, no sense of humour in that chin" she replied.

"Is that her again? Soufflé girl?" asked Amy. "Yeah, she- Oi, what is wrong with my chin?" demanded the Doctor, patting it. "Careful dear. You'll put someone's eye out".

Amy and Anna sniggered. "I told you it was hilarious" smirked Anna. The Doctor glared at her.

"I'm scanning you. You're in another of the escape pods from the Alaska, the same ship I was on". _Was on? _Thought Anna. _Surely she's still on board part of the ship? Something is definitely odd about this girl. _

"How can you hack into everything, it should be impossible, you're in a crashed ship!"

"Long story. Is there a word for total screaming genius that sounds modest and a tiny bit sexy?" Oswin asked playfully. "Doctor. You can call me the Doctor" he flirted back.

"See what you did there!" said Oswin.

"You shouldn't show off like that" Anna scolded him, but without much enthusiasm. "Don't worry, I won't steal your boyfriend. And don't lie, I know about the baby. Someone's been a busy boy" Oswin teased him. The Doctor scowled at Anna _and _at the eyestalk through which Oswin was watching them. "Check the floor. I'm picking up a breach at floor level, there could be a way out. See ya later!" And with that, she cut off.

They set about searching for the exit. Amy moved aside a yellow box to reveal – "Aha, a hatch!" The Doctor struggled with the handle. "Looks like it's been used already and they tried to block it off behind them".

"Can't imagine why" Amy said sarcastically, as the Dalek puppets banged against the door. "Well the lower part of the pod is buried so, this must go straight down to the asylum".

"Where Rory is" Amy realised.

"Speaking of Rory, has anything…bad happened?" Anna asked tentatively.

"No, well sort of, just stuff, you know, we split up, what can you do?" The Doctor paused and stared at her anxiously. "What can I do?" he asked.

"Nothing" replied Amy. "This isn't one of those things you can fix like you fix your bowtie" she told him, reaching out and straightening it. "And don't give me those big wet eyes, Raggedy Man! It's life, just life, that thing that goes on when you two aren't there". _At least you're acknowledging me _thought Anna, and then she coughed violently. Golden particles tumbled out of her mouth, and the Doctor patted her shoulder awkwardly. He really wasn't the best at comforting people at the moment.

"Whoa. What's wrong, why are you doing that?" asked Amy. Anna shook her head. "I'm fine. This is just what happens when a TARDIS gets morning sickness" she explained. "You're pregnant?" asked Amy. The Doctor gave her an odd look as he hauled open the hatch. "You heard the Daleks say so, up on the spaceship" he reminded her. Amy looked between the Doctor and Anna, her eyes widening. "I…I don't remember that" she murmured. Anna lifted Amy's right hand. Her protective bracelet was gone. "That…thing must have pulled it off, when it grabbed you" she sighed.

Amy was definitely worried now. "What's going to happen to me, seriously. Tell me, what?"

"The nanocloud is programmed with a template. Like a disc in a computer. It will process your cells to resemble that template" explained Anna. "So what's the template, is that…eye thing gonna stick out of my head?"

"Physical changes come later. First they'll take your memories and personality. Come on" said the Doctor. They began to climb down the rope ladder. Anna wondered, who would have wanted to send a rope ladder down into a place like this? Had another crewmember gone exploring and perished, leaving their means of escape behind?

/

"So tell me" said Amy as they climbed down, "how can Anna be pregnant? You are _married_, to my _daughter_. And what's going to happen to me? Don't lie, cos I'll know if you're lying to me and I will definitely fall on you".

A few rungs above her, Anna called down "The pregnancy is my fault, Amy. I used too much human and Time Lord DNA to create this body and it somehow…conceived. It's extremely strange".

"The air all around is filled with micro-machines, robots the size of molecules. Nano-genes. Now that you're unprotected, you're being…rewritten" explained the Doctor.

"So what happens, I get one of those _things _sticking out my head?" Amy asked in alarm. "Physical changes come later. It starts with your feelings and memories and I'm sorry Amy, but it's already begun" said Anna. "How do you know?"

"Because we've had this conversation four times" replied the Doctor. Amy looked horrified. "Okay. I'm really scared now". The Doctor took her face in his hands. "Hang onto scared" he told her, "scared isn't Dalek". They hugged each other tightly.

"What about you, how do you feel?" the Doctor asked Anna. "Apart from the nausea, and being inside a planet filled with the most hateful creatures in the universe, I'm fine" she replied, smiling.

They carried on until they came to a door. The room beyond was empty, but they could hear Daleks. "What is that?" asked Amy. She was exhausted and dizzy. "Keep a lookout. Don't open this door! Anna, look after Amy" the Doctor ordered. Anna nodded. "You can count on me" she said.

The Doctor moved away to speak to Oswin, and find out how to get to Rory. Amy paced back and forth, holding her head. "Amy? Can you hear me?" asked Anna. She didn't quite know what she was doing, but she knew she had to keep Amy focused on something. Anything.

"Yeah…course. Who's that?" Amy staggered to the door and peered between the slits. Anna looked as well. The Daleks were back, much to her alarm. "Amy, get back!" Amy looked at her blearily, and opened the door. "They're just people. Look, there's a little girl" she said, pointing at a Dalek inexplicably spinning in a circle. "A ballerina".

Anna seized Amy's hand and pulled her away. "The nanocloud is altering your perception. Look again, those _aren't _people!" she cried, tugging desperately. Amy's head lolled. She reached out a hand to the people, and then blinked. Anna was right. They weren't people. They were Daleks.

"Come on!" cried Anna. The Doctor finally looked up to see both women running towards him, followed by a Dalek. The three of them ran to the ladder, only to find the Dalek puppets climbing down to them.

"**Intruder! Intruder! In…tru...der**" The Dalek slowed to a stop. It attempted to exterminate them, but only a blue light fizzed at the end of its gun. The Doctor took a few tentative steps forward. When the Dalek failed to exterminate him, he smiled. "It's damaged" he said in relief.

"Okay, but what do we do?" asked Amy. Anna went back to the ladder and looked up. "They're about a quarter of the way down" she informed them. The Doctor walked straight up to the Dalek. "Identify me. Access your files, come on! Who's your daddy?"

"**You are the Pre-da-tor**" announced the Dalek, its gun flashing and fizzling.

"Access your standing orders concerning the Predator".

"**The Pre-da-tor must be destroyed!**"

"And how are you going to do that, Dalek? Without a gun, you're a tricycle with a roof. How are _you _going to destroy _me_?" the Doctor asked recklessly. The Dalek whirred. "**Self-destruct initiated!**"

"What's it doing?" asked Amy in alarm.

"Blowing itself up, and us with it. It's the only weapon it has left" explained Anna. "Doctor, _this_ is why you shouldn't show off!"

The Doctor lifted his sonic screwdriver, and aimed it at the Dalek. "**Self-destruct cannot be counter-demanded!**" it cried.

"I'm not looking for the counter-demand, dear. I'm looking, for reverse!" the Doctor grinned. The Dalek rolled backwards, desperately screaming "**Forwards! Forwards! Forwards!**"

_BOOM! _The Dalek self-destructed, destroying the others with it; but the force of the blast knocked the Doctor, Amy and Anna right off their feet. The floor shuddered, and pieces of shrapnel rained down on them. When the dust had settled down, the Doctor scrambled onto his knees and looked around for his companions. "Anna! Amy! Are you okay?!" he called.

Anna, who had instinctively curled around her stomach, sat up dazedly. "I think so…but Amy is not" she said worriedly, pointing to the Scottish ginger. The Doctor crawled over and scanned her. "She's just unconscious. Let's go" he said, scooping Amy into his arms and standing. All three of them were covered in small cuts and bruises from the explosion. Anna pulled a piece of Dalek shell from her tangled hair. She followed the Doctor as he carried Amy down the corridor and into the room.

Rory was standing there, looking around at the remains of the Daleks. "Who killed all the Daleks?" he asked, and then he saw the Doctor, holding Amy's body. "Who do you think?" the Time Lord asked boastfully. For a moment Rory remained where he was, mouth agape, until a groan from Amy snapped him into reality. "What happened?" He demanded.

"Long story" replied the Doctor. "He tricked a Dalek into blowing itself and the rest up. Amy was caught in the blast. Also – we're sorry – her wristband was stolen. She's being converted as we speak" explained Anna. Rory simply nodded. "There's a room back here," he said, "it's safe in there, more or less". Once they were inside, the Doctor lay Amy down on the floor. "Will sleeping help her?" asked Rory. "Will it slow down the process?"

"You'd better hope so" said Oswin. They looked up at the eyestalk camera she was watching them through. "Because pretty soon, she's going to try and kill you".

Amy groaned in pain. "Ow" she muttered. "Amy, Amy. Still with us?" the Doctor smiled down at her. "Amy, it's me. Do you remember me?" asked Rory. She slapped him. "She remembers me" he sighed. The Doctor grinned. "Same old Amy!"

"Do you know how you make someone a Dalek? Subtract love, add anger. Doesn't she seem a bit too angry to you?" asked Oswin. Amy lifted her head and said sarcastically, "Well, _someone's _never been to Scotland!"

"What about you, Oswin? You've been here for a year, why aren't you a Dalek puppet?" Anna asked bluntly. "I mentioned the genius thing, yeah? Shielded in here" Oswin replied casually. "Hmm, clever of you. Now, this place, the Daleks said it was fully automated, but look at it, it's a wreck" the Doctor pointed out. The flickering lights and dank, dripping walls supported this statement wholesale. "Well, I've had nearly a year to mess with them, and, not a lot else to do" replied Oswin, as if it should be obvious.

"A junior entertainment manager hiding out in a wrecked ship, hacking the security systems of the most advanced warrior race the universe has ever seen. But, you know what really gets me about you, Oswin? The soufflés, where do you get the milk, for the soufflés?" He turned to the others. "Seriously, is no one else wondering about that? Anna, you're wondering about that aren't you?" he asked hopefully.

Anna merely looked at him and smiled. "You know what this is?" she inquired, tapping her foot on the platform. "A teleport" he replied, smiling back. "So in no particular order, we need to neutralise all the Daleks in the asylum, rescue Oswin from the wreckage, escape from this planet and fix Amy and Rory's marriage".

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I'm counting _three_ lost causes, anyone else?" she asked sarcastically. Rory rolled his eyes in annoyance, both at his stubborn wife and at the plan of the Time Lord. "I can only think of two" Anna commented absently, earning her two bewildered glances. The Doctor whipped out the sonic and knelt down to fiddle with the teleport controls. "I can boost the power, and we can use this to beam us right off this planet!" he explained gleefully.

"And straight onto the Dalek ship to get exterminated" Anna said drily. The Doctor stuck his tongue out at her, and turned back to Oswin's camera. "Oswin, how fast can you drop the forcefield?"

"Pretty fast. I can do it from here, soon as you come and get me. I'm sending you a map" she answered.

The Doctor began fixing the teleport, with instructions to the others to leave without him if the room began to explode. As he pointed out, it was okay because _they _were the ones about to be teleported up to a Dalek ship to get exterminated. "What about me, what do I do?" Amy asked crossly. The Doctor looked her right in the eye. "You heard what she said. They're subtracting love, don't let them".

When he was finished, the Doctor walked over to the door. He turned and surveyed the scene behind him; Amy on the floor, Rory standing behind her, and Anna, looking at him with determination in her eyes. "Anna. Look after them" he instructed. As soon as he'd gone, Anna turned to Amy and Rory. They both nodded, not needing to ask. Anna gave them a grateful smile and hurried to the door. "Look after each other" she said over her shoulder.

_A/N: _I'm starting to think that incorporating the episodes into this fanfiction might not have been the best idea. So I have a question, which is this:

Should I follow my original plan to write Anna into the episodes, with filler chapters between them, until the birth of her baby?

OR

Should I write completely original chapters with only passing mentions of each episode so that you know where you are?

This is a serious question. Please leave your answers in the review box.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue

_A/N: _This is the last episode based chapter. I have decided to write original chapters from now on, so feel free to pretend that chapters four through six happened off screen, as it were.

Without further ado,

Chapter Six 

When Anna caught up to the Doctor, he didn't seem surprised that she'd followed him. "I know you gave your bracelet to Amy" she told him quietly. "I have more memories than her, it'll take a lot longer to affect me" he replied; but it was already affecting him, he could feel his memories warping. His memories were precious to him, even the unpleasant ones. Anna reached out and took hold of his hand. He looked at her and she smiled. He smiled back.

As they made their way through the dimly lit corridors, they neared a door. "Oswin? I think we're close" said the Doctor, hoping that she was listening. "You…are!...Which is the good news". The Doctor and Anna exchanged worried looks. "And the bad news, which I fear is coming?"

"You're about to pass through intensive care".

The door slid upwards, to reveal a room lit with a sickly green tinge. It reminded Anna of the House, and she shivered. The Doctor squeezed her hand as he looked around at the catatonic Daleks. "What's so special about this lot then?" he wondered aloud. "No idea" replied Oswin. "Survivors of particular wars. Spiridon, Kembel, Aridius, Vulcan, Exxilon. Ring any bells?" she asked. "They all survived you, Doctor" Anna muttered grimly.

"**Doc-tor**"

Anna and the Doctor looked around in alarm. The Daleks were stirring, croaking out the name of their greatest enemy. "That's weird. Those ones don't usually wake up for anything" Oswin said in surprise. "Yeah, well, special visitor" said the Doctor, distracted. "Okay, door, but, it won't open. We can't be far away though" he said, trying to unlock it with the sonic.

"Hang on, err, I'm not quite sure…there's a release code, le-let me just…anything happening out there?" she asked.

"Err, Doctor?" He turned around. A frightened Anna pointed at the Daleks, who were still chanting "**Doctor**". Their chains broke like elastic and they now advanced towards Anna and the Doctor, suckers extended. They were surrounded on all sides, basically sitting ducks. "Hang on, I'm trying a thing!" exclaimed Oswin. The Doctor turned around and banged the door with the heels of his hands. "How will that help?" Anna cried hysterically; she pressed herself against the wall to get as far from the Daleks as she possibly could.

"Oswin, get this door open! Oswin, open this door!" yelled the Doctor. "I can't!" she said desperately. The Doctor pulled Anna away from the Daleks and stood in front of her, trying to shield her. "Oswin, _please get this door open! Oswin!_"

Then bewilderingly, miraculously, the Daleks turned away. Shaking, the Doctor and Anna watched wide eyed as they calmly trundled back to their pens. "Oh that is cool" said Oswin, giggling. "Tell me I'm cool, Chin Boy". The Doctor panted and released Anna from his rather tight grip. "Oswin, whatever did you do?" she asked.

"Hang on, think I found the door thingy"

"No, tell us what you did" the Doctor demanded. "The Daleks, they have a hive mind. Well they don't, but they have a sort of telepathic web" Oswin pointed out. "Yes, the path-web" added the Doctor. "I hacked into it, did a master delete on all information connected with the Doctor" she explained, and the Doctor realised "You made them forget me? But…I've tried to hack into the path-web, even I couldn't do it".

"Good huh? And here's the door" boasted Oswin. The door slid open. "Oh no" whispered Anna. The Doctor didn't say anything; he merely stared, anger and sadness filling his eyes. There was no genius human, no wreckage of a ship; just a circular white room, with a Dalek that was once Oswin Oswald chained up on the other side.

"**Hey you're right **outside come on in" Anna eyes filled with tears. She had seen the Daleks commit atrocious, unforgivable acts, but this was one of the most despicable things… "I'm sorry" she whispered.

"Oswin, we have a problem" the Doctor said, his voice tight with suppressed emotion.

"**No we don't. **Don't even say that**. **Joined the Alaska to see the universe, ended up** stuck in a ship-wreck the first time out. **Rescue me Chin Boy and show me the stars". It was all so wrong; the illusion broke up and what should have been the voice of a human became the voice of a _monster. _

"Does it look real to you?" asked the Doctor. He didn't want to do this, but he had no choice. "**Does what look re-al**" asked Dalek Oswin.

"Oswin, it's a dream" Anna said tearfully. "The hacking, the soufflés…you created an illusion for yourself, an illusion that even fooled other people, because the truth is…" she trailed off, unable to say it. The Doctor finished for her. "Because you are a Dalek" he said bitterly. Anna stared at him and shook her head. "Thief…she can't help it".

"**I am not a Dalek. I am not a Dalek I'm hu-man!**" protested Dalek Oswin. The Doctor walked over and placed his hands on the Dalek's casing. "You were human when you crashed here, it was you who climbed out of the pod, that was your ladder" he told her.

"**I'm human**"

"Not anymore, because you're right. You're a genius, and the Daleks need genius. They didn't just turn you into a puppet, they did a full conversion" the Doctor said sadly. Anna never thought she would feel pity for a Dalek. "No" she whispered. The Doctor looked up at her, and said "I'm sorry", both to Anna and to all that was left of Oswin.

"No!" Anna cried more forcefully. She plunged her hand into the Doctor's jacket, dragged out the sonic screwdriver, and shoved him aside. "**What are you do-ing?**" asked Dalek Oswin.

Anna aimed the sonic screwdriver, fighting off the Doctor's frantic attempts to take it back. "Anna, Anna, calm down, remember the baby, I'm so sorry, I know"- "Know what!" she screamed at him. "You don't know what it's like to be a machine. I do. And don't you see? They did this to her because of her mind; this could have been _you_".

The Doctor was so shocked by Anna's words that he stumbled backwards, his face filled with sheer horror. He had not thought, not even _considered…_ "**Please…let me out. E-ven if I die let me out**" begged Oswin. And she was saying that not as a Dalek, but a human they had to try and save. He swallowed and nodded. Anna took a deep breath and turned to Oswin. "Oswin, I'm going to open your shell. If your body is…salvageable, we'll take you with us. But first you have to drop the forcefield" she explained.

"**But there won't be enough time**. **You will have only minutes**"

"You can do a lot in minutes, I always say. Do it now, Oswin. Drop the forcefield, Anna, unlock the casing" ordered the Doctor. They followed their commands and as the room began to shake, the Dalek opened up to reveal Oswin's human body, wired in and close to death. The Doctor snatched the sonic out of Anna's fingers and unlocked the restraints around her head and chest; he pulled her from the wires, slung her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift and yelled "_Run!" _

They ran as fast as they possibly could back to the teleport. Amy and Rory had chosen a bad moment to reconcile and kiss. "Not now!" yelled Anna, breaking the kissing couple apart. As soon as the Doctor had stepped onto the teleport, Oswin's limp form hanging awkwardly in his arms, Anna seized the teleport button and pressed.

In a blinding flash, they were inside her console room. "Is that Oswin?" asked Amy. "Shut up, Pond! Rory, help me get Oswin to the med bay" shouted the Doctor. Amy rounded on Anna, demanding answers. "What the hell happened back there?" she asked, and regretted her harshness when she saw Anna's tear stained face. "She was a Dalek, Amy. A human Dalek that clung to her humanity and I just…I couldn't help myself" she sobbed. Amy tried to comfort her, but Anna shrugged the redhead off and hurried to the medical room.

The Doctor and Rory had worked quickly, hooking Oswin up to a heart monitor, IV drip, breathing apparatus. Whilst in the Dalek shell, she had been kept alive (barely) by it's in built life support system. To everyone's relief, a pulse was appearing on the monitor. It was slow and faint, but Oswin's heart was beating. "Come on Oswin, you brilliant girl you. Stay with us" the Doctor said earnestly.

Anna returned to the console room, but only to dematerialise herself. The further she got from the Daleks, the better. On her way back to the med bay, she lifted her left arm to check on her unborn child. The green light comforted her a little; in spite of all this stress and fear, her baby was coping just fine.

Amy, Rory and the Doctor were gathered around Oswin's bedside. Amy and Rory massaged her ice cold limbs, trying to encourage the blood to circulate. Anna locked the door behind her and closed her eyes. _Initiate procedure zero fifty eight, complete removal of inorganic matter from organic based systems _she ordered herself. "I'm purging the nano-genes from our systems" she explained aloud.

The sensation was strange; to Amy, it felt like her insides were fizzing. "I'm sorry I was so rude earlier. I guess I am too angry" she apologised. Anna waved it away. "I don't mind. The important thing is that we're all alive. All _six _of us" she replied, winking at the Doctor. He grinned in pure relief and hugged her. "You're brilliant" he murmured into her hair.

For uncounted hours, they waited together in the med bay. Twice Oswin's heart failed, but at long last she twitched and moaned. "W-w-what" she gasped, and her voice was beautifully _human. _"It's okay, shh. You're safe, Oswin. You're alive, and you're human" said the Doctor. Oswin's eyes flickered open. "Hi" she sighed. She had never felt so exhausted in her life. "Go back to sleep, Oswin Oswald" muttered the Doctor, as he bent down and kissed her forehead.

/

_A/N: _Yes, I did. I saved Oswin. Aren't AU fanfictions wonderful?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Seven 

The Doctor decided to leave Oswin in the capable hands (or paws) of the Sisters of the Infinite Schism, before turning to the issue of his best friend's relationship. Despite having tricked them into reconciling, the Doctor had no idea what had torn the couple apart in the first place. After they'd left the hospital, the Doctor confronted them about it. "So tell me. What really happened?" he asked. They were in the console room; Amy and Rory sitting on the steps, Anna standing beside the console, and the Doctor perched on the captain's chair.

"Can't you just drop it?" asked Amy, stubborn as ever. "It's over now, we've made up".

"Please, Pond. You can trust me. Wait, no, hang on, it wasn't something I did was it?" he questioned worriedly.

"Of course not; oh, fine, I…I wasn't trying to get _rid _of Rory, I was trying to let him go. I hurt him so that he'd leave, _not_ come back, and find someone who could give him what he's always wanted" said Amy. Rory wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. The Doctor nodded in understanding, and then frowned. "But Rory already has a house and a nice car, remember?"

They all stared at him with incredulous expressions. "Thief, _you _gave those things to him. I mean, I know they were also for Amy. My point is that you're missing _theirs_" Anna pointed out, gesturing to Amy and Rory. Rory took pity on the confused Time Lord. "She was talking about having more children, Doctor" he revealed.

"Ever since Demon's Run I…I've tried to get over it, I really have, but every baby, every_thing _I see reminds me of Melody – and she melted Doctor, right in my arms. I lost her forever. Sure she grew up with us as Mels, and we met her as River, but having another baby will make it… permanent" Amy explained, driving herself to the verge of tears. Rory held his wife tightly, muttering comforting nonsense in her ear.

When Amy didn't smile, or even elbow him and call him stupid face, Rory turned to the Doctor. He'd long since accepted that the Time Lord was one of the few people who could really comfort her. The Doctor's legs folded like origami as he knelt in front of Amy Pond. "Amelia" he murmured, "why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

She sniffed, and answered "Because what good would it have done? Telling you wouldn't have brought Melody back; it wouldn't have…changed the time lines so she could have grown up with us and still become River Song".

The Doctor wiped a tear away with his thumb. "Amy, Amy. Don't you see it's okay? You won't go through what happened at Demon's Run again, I promise" he told her earnestly.

"And Amy, I miss Melody too, but I don't want another kid just to replace her or something. In fact, I don't want children at all if you're not ready for them" added Rory. Amy felt so relieved to hear him say that (and stupid to have not realised that _of course _he'd say that), that she kissed him. "Eugh, _more_ kissing and crying" the Doctor gagged, standing up.

Amy pulled away from her husband and jumped to her feet. "Gotcha" she teased as she caught the Doctor in a hug. "Yeah, yeah, gotcha. So, are you gonna be okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Do you mind dropping us off back home? Rory and I have some catching up to do" said Amy, winking at her husband.

With a salute, the Doctor turned to the control panel, only to find that Anna was already dematerialising. "I was going to do that".

"By all means, Doctor. You're my Time Lord; you have every right to try and pilot me" Anna replied innocently. The Doctor was satisfied with this answer; until he played back what Anna had just said, and realised – "Did you just say I'm a bad pilot?"

Both women burst out laughing. "Sorry, love" Anna said unconvincingly through her giggles. Amy just took one look at the Doctor's irritated expression and fell about again. Even Rory was chuckling. "Oh, shut up" complained the Doctor, whilst trying not to smile himself. The TARDIS landed with its usual _vworp thud. _

"See you around, Pond" said the Doctor, attempting to be casual. "You'd better" Amy warned him, before giving him a goodbye hug. Anna smiled at Rory and then hugged him, much to his surprise. "Yeah, um, bye Anna; and good luck with the baby" he added.

"Oh yeah! Come and see us when the baby's born, or as close as you can get" added Amy, as she briefly embraced Anna. Then she seized Rory's hand and practically dragged him out of the TARDIS. The Doctor waved them goodbye from the doorway.

"Well, that's that. Where to now, Sexy?" he asked. Anna raised an eyebrow. "I see you're calling me Sexy again" she commented; the Doctor smirked and replied "We're alone, aren't we? Come on then, all of time, all of space- take me where I need to go".

Before Anna could suggest a trip to, say, Metebelis Three, if only to wipe that smug look off her Doctor's face – her stomach growled. "Ah, well I for one need some sustenance. You're welcome to join me" she offered. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, it's alright…I mean I would, but I just realised what Amy meant by 'catching up' and I think I've lost my appetite". Anna laughed all the way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out some cheese, intending to make a sandwich. When she unwrapped the block of cheddar from its foil, however, she was struck by a disgusting odour. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Anna quickly placed the offending dairy product back inside the fridge.

The butter didn't smell much better. After a bit of experimenting, Anna found a sandwich filling she found tolerable; pickles and peanut butter. She had the sudden urge to eat banana's, and devoured three before it occurred to her to leave a few for the Doctor. This was three regenerations in a row that enjoyed the yellow fruit; the eleventh Doctor was just slightly less obsessed with them than his predecessor.

By the time Anna was full, half an hour had passed. She decided to go to the Library, and perhaps find some information on pregnancy. There undoubtedly wouldn't be any books about a human Time Lord pregnancy, but it would be a start. Asking the Doctor, obviously, was out of the question.

After some searching, Anna discovered a box marked 'HUMANY – WUMANY STUFF' on the top shelf of the medical section. It was filled to the brim with books on pregnancy. _Since when has he had these? Oh, that's right, he bought them when the Yellow One caught Mildrovenian fever and thought she was having pregnancy symptoms. Oh, the look on his face! _Giggling at the memory, Anna settled down with the books.

It wasn't long before the food and reading made her feel very sleepy. Yawning, Anna stretched out on the settee and closed her eyes. '_Coping With Cravings' _slipped from her hand and landed on the carpet with a soft thud.

_They were running again, always running. Running from the Cybermen; no, the Sontarons; no, the Daleks, or was it all three? Now she was alone. There were Daleks everywhere. One of them moved forward. "__**An-na**__". How did it know her name? "__**I was the Doc-tor**__". No, impossible! "__**Join us An-na. Join the Da-leks!**__" No, no, no…._

"NO!"

Jerked into consciousness, Anna looked around wildly. One hand gripped the back of the settee; the other was pressed protectively against her stomach. It had been a mere nightmare. "I should have known" she told herself, but her hearts still pounded, and felt like they could explode any moment. She had to calm herself down, but how? Anna thought hard, and just trying to think of a way to relax herself helped a little. Then she remembered a technique she'd learned from a Sister so very long ago; to count until one felt safe again.

With a deep breath, Anna closed her eyes and began to count up from one. With each number, she pictured a memory.

_One: "The most beautiful thing I've ever known". _

_Two: "It's my home; at least it has been for a considerable number of years". _

_Three: "Well, thank goodness the TARDIS is alright"._

_Four: "Obsolete! Twaddle, take no notice my dear old thing" _

_Five: "The TARDIS is more than a machine Tegan, it's…it's like a person"_

_Six: Her sixth Thief being pulled away for that staged trial. _

_Seven: Her seventh Thief sitting in her console room, reading 'The Time Machine'. _

_Eight: "She's a sentimental old thing". _

_Nine: "This is the TARDIS. My TARDIS. The best ship in the universe"._

_Ten: Her tenth Thief repairing her after the ordeal of the Year That Never Was._

_Eleven: "Look at you. Oh you Sexy thing, look at you!" _

When she opened her eyes again, Anna not only felt calm, but much happier as well. Her Thief had always made her feel better, even when he didn't know he was doing anything. "I can tell him that. I should tell him that" she mused. After she'd put the books away (in a much more accessible location), Anna walked with a spring in her step out of the Library and down the corridor. She was halfway to the console room when it hit her, like a supernova.

The Doctor was in danger.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue

_A/N: _The majority of this story will now be set before 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship', in the ten month gap between the two episodes that occurred for Amy and Rory.

I'd also like to thank Ceeare, Alix Cohen, James Birdsongand the rest of the anonymous reviewers, just for taking time to read this.

With an extra big shout out to InvisibleBlade**, **my first and only recurrent reviewer.

Chapter Eight 

As soon as Anna left the console room to get a snack, the Doctor regretted not going with her. Not because he was hungry; well, maybe a bit peckish, but mostly because he swiftly grew bored. He amused himself by fiddling around, keeping his idle hands busy; but when Anna didn't return for an hour, he figured he should at least check up on her.

Upon entering the kitchen, the Doctor beheld the results of Anna's 'experiments'. Opened jars of everything from peaches to Marmite covered the table, as well as scorched, half eaten slices of toast and banana peels. The Doctor sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, pregnant, having cravings, but she doesn't clear up" he muttered in fond exasperation. Once he'd tidied the kitchen, he wondered where the woman who had messed it up in the first place was.

The Doctor closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. It should be easy; Anna was the only person with a Time Lord mind who was actually nearby. The sensation of having a mind so much like his own, within in such easy reach, was sometimes a little disconcerting. It was like going deaf and then miraculously regaining that sense. Except it wasn't really like that. A mental image of rows of books came to the forefront of his mind, and he smiled, before hurrying off to the library.

Anna was asleep on a comfortable settee, with a cardboard box on top of the coffee table behind her head. The Doctor peered inside, and blushed a little at the titles and the memory of why he'd actually got them. He was glad that he'd identified Rose's illness before she saw the books; though in retrospect, perhaps he should have identified the illness before buying them. He knew he'd never be able to show his face in the Powell Estate Library again, even now.

Part of him wanted to wake Anna up and suggest an adventure, but she looked so peaceful; and she did need plenty of rest, what with having a baby and all. The Doctor swallowed nervously at the thought. He wanted to be supportive, he really did, but he was still having trouble figuring out his own feelings.

He knelt on the floor besides Anna's stomach, trying to imagine what things would be like in eight, nine months, as the baby within her grew. Feeling rather foolish, the Doctor lowered his head and murmured "Err, hello, baby. Well, unborn baby. I know you can't probably hear me; or maybe you can. I err, just wanted to say hello, really", he smiled and added, "Your mother said that to me once. A long, long time ago. And then she had to go, but she came back. Didn't expect that. Didn't expect you, either" he chuckled.

A sigh fell from Anna's lips as she shifted; and the Doctor decided to take his leave before he disturbed her. "Just going for a walk, dear" he muttered in her ear, before tiptoeing out into the corridor. Knowing her, she could probably hear him even in her sleep.

He set the co-ordinates to random and landed minutes later in 21st century London. However, the Doctor had learned that when it came to his TARDIS, his destination was hardly ever random. There didn't appear to be much going on, but he kept an eye out all the same. The Doctor recognised the statue of Admiral Nelson above the crush of people, and realised he was heading towards Trafalgar Square. He made a mental note to pay the Admiral a visit; not in the heat of battle, of course.

As he passed a café, his eye was caught by a young man in a hoodie. Everyone else was walking straight past, but the Doctor noticed that the man's hands were shaking slightly, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was crying and trying to hide it, fixating his gaze on a Styrofoam cup of coffee.

"Excuse me?"

The Doctor started and spun around. A middle aged woman laden with shopping bags was standing behind him, eyebrows raised in distaste. "Oh, sorry, am I in your way?" he asked as he quickly sidestepped. She simply shook her head and trudged on, giving him a suspicious look and muttering about 'all these silly fads'. The Doctor always found it a bit amusing when people thought his outfit was some sort of fashion statement. Maybe one day, people would realise how cool tweed jackets and bowties actually were.

The Doctor considered just being 'humany wumany' and acting like he'd seen nothing at all; but he knew from experience that if he walked away now, it would be stuck in the back of his head all day. Perhaps even the rest of his life. So against his better judgement, he walked over and sat down on a nearby table. He didn't want to seem imposing or anything. He figured he ought to ask now, before the man had a chance to pay and leave, so he leaned across the gap between their tables.

"Err, hey. What's wrong?" he asked. The stranger glared at him through clearly reddened eyes and scowled. "Nothing, 'kay?" he snapped.

Unfazed, the Doctor scooted his metal seat closer. "It's okay, if there is. Trust me, I'm...I'm good at keeping a secret". He'd almost said 'I'm the Doctor' and that just wouldn't do; he was supposed to be dead, and who knew who could be listening?.

"Secret?" his new acquaintance snorted in disbelief. "Ain't a secret, mate, everyone knows about it, people disappearing".

"Who's disappeared? I mean, who do you know that's vanished?"

"My girlfriend. I went to the police, o' course, but when I told 'em she was Polish they just", he threw up his hands to signify giving in. "She hasn't got her citizenship yet. It came in the post today, but she was long gone by that time" he explained, before blowing his nose on a napkin. The Doctor pulled away. _Honestly _he thought tenderly, _even asleep she takes me where I need to go. That's my girl. _

"Listen – sorry, what was your name?"

"Paul. My girlfriend's called Adriana".

"Listen, Paul. I'll help you find Adriana, but I need to know _everything _you remember about when she disappeared" the Doctor said urgently. Paul didn't say anything; he just stared at the Doctor, taking the measure of him. Then he drained the rest of his coffee and tucked a twenty pound note under the saucer. "I'll do you one better. I can show you where I last saw her".

The Doctor followed Paul through the streets of London and into a restaurant. "We were on a date, right, on Friday. Everything was fine, until Adriana went to the ladies. She never came back. I looked everywhere I could think of, but she'd just gone. It's been two days" he explained, sounding helpless.

"What about the staff, did they see anything?" asked the Doctor.

"I asked them, they said they hadn't seen her leave but they were too busy to really notice".

They went into the girls toilets. "I don't think they would have noticed" mused the Doctor, "because I doubt Adriana left by the front door". He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and began to scan his surroundings.

"What's that?" asked Paul, staring at the whining device.

"Sonic screwdriver, it's…well it's a screwdriver, that's sonic. Works on a lot more than just screws though, except wood, it doesn't do wood. Frankly it's getting embarrassing, I need to get a wood setting" the Doctor rambled.

The shopping bag woman walked into the toilets. "You!" she exclaimed at the sight of the Doctor. He turned and grinned.

"Hello, don't worry! Routine bathroom inspection". He rummaged in his pocket for the psychic paper and held it out to her. She looked at it as if it were a scorpion and glared daggers at the Doctor. "Out, both of you! Honestly, no respect for personal boundaries" she huffed.

Paul walked over and addressed the Doctor's middle aged acquaintance. "Look, my girlfriend's disappeared, we're just looking for clues" he explained. She glared at him as well, the crotchety old bat.

"Aha!" the Doctor said triumphantly. "Lovely meeting you, come on Paul" he exclaimed, dragging the other man into the last stall and locking the door. Paul pressed his back against the divider so that he wasn't quite nose to nose with the Time Lord. "This is _way _too close for comfort".

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "But I've found a trace of thermosetting polymorphic residue – melted plastic, in layman's terms. And if my hunch is correct…" He pressed the flush button, and the toilet retracted into the wall. Paul stared open mouthed.

"And that isn't even the good part!" the Doctor said cheerfully, pointing down. The floor was splitting apart, and pretty soon they were plunging into the Earth. They both yelled; Paul in terror, the Doctor in delight. Mere moments later, the pair landed with a loud _whoomph _sound on a large air bed.

Struggling to his feet, Paul looked around in disbelief at what appeared to be a large warehouse. "Where are we?" he questioned, keeping his voice low.

The Doctor rubbed his chin and peered around in fascination. "I've no idea" he replied all too cheerfully. Just then, the door at the other end of the room opened and a young woman strode in. Before the Doctor could caution him, Paul had leapt off the airbed and ran towards her.

"Adriana!" He threw his arms around his girlfriend's shoulders and hugged her; her arms moved up around his waist to his neck. The Doctor approached them and smiled winningly at Adriana – who merely stared straight ahead, with a glassy, emotionless expression. The Doctor noticed that she was too stiff, her skin too shiny. "Paul, step aside" he ordered, voice filled with urgency.

Paul half turned, one arm still around the pseudo Adriana. "What for, can't a guy have a moment? Adri, this is the Doctor, he…Adriana?" Paul pulled back and stared at what he thought was his girlfriend, but now, he wasn't so sure. "Paul, step aside now!" the Doctor insisted with yet more urgency. There was a faint whirring noise, and 'Adriana' raised her right hand. "Get down!" yelled the Doctor, jumping forward to grab Paul. He heard the hiss of something whizzing through the air, and felt a sharp pain in his arm.

His vision blurred, and then everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Nine 

Paul screamed in fright as Auton Adriana aimed her gun at him. He felt a piercing pain in his upper arm, as if a needle had been jammed through his skin. As he collapsed, Paul realised that it _was _a needle; an anaesthetic. Then he lost consciousness.

He awoke hours later with a groan, to find himself standing upright, not to mention in pitch darkness. Paul panicked and struggled, but he soon realised that he was encased in…something, that pressed against his skin so tightly that he couldn't move a muscle; and there was some sort of spray that, judging by the tingling feeling all over his skin, covered him from head to toe. Not to mention it had a sharp scent, reminiscent of nail polish remover.

It crossed his mind that Adriana, the _real _Adriana could be in just as much danger as he. '_Don't worry, Adriana' _he thought to himself, _'I'll save you somehow'. _First, it would be brilliant if someone saved _him_. He would call for help, but the likelihood of whatever he was trapped in being soundproof seemed pretty high at the moment. '_What the hell have I got myself into?' _he asked himself worriedly.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was also immobilized and thinking hard, laying out the facts in his mind and examining them one by one. First, people were disappearing. Second, this fact was known to the general populace, and naturally, they were ignoring what was right in front of them. Third, the police seemed to be making little effort to search for the missing people, which could mean they were in on whatever scheme the Autons had. Fourth, he was trapped inside a human shaped mould. Fifth, he was covered in a heat resistant transparent gel.

His rapidly firing neurones had identified through smell and feel alone the substance that coated him all over; a product developed several galaxies away, and only on Earth in the early years of the 24th century. When coated on an object, the gel solidified in a matter of seconds, and provided protection against extreme heat. It was coated on the hulls of space craft to better protect them when entering the atmosphere of a planet. It was not supposed to be coated on living people so that they could be used as casts for melted plastic.

With no way to move or speak, the Doctor turned to the only option he had left; sending out a telepathic cry for help.

/

When Anna sensed the Doctor's distress, she wasted no time in homing in on his location. With no one to oppose her, she managed to land the TARDIS (well, the machine) with more accuracy than she had done in a very long time. Armed with; well, a spare psychic paper at least, she ventured out of the doors into a wide corridor. The lack of windows and heavy, stale air told her straightaway it was underground, but she didn't waste time pondering this. Instead she ran, as fast as she could down the corridor.

The door she approached flung open and rebounded on the wall with a resounding crash. Silhouetted in the doorway was a tall figure; recklessly, Anna shoved him out of the way. The guard toppled to the ground and a crack appeared, zigzagging across the chest. Intrigued, Anna halted her search for the Doctor and crouched down to examine the cracked Auton. Its gun arm twitched and she grasped it by the wrist, pinning the limb down so it couldn't shoot at her.

The design of the Auton was fascinating, unbelievably lifelike. Muffled grunts emanated from its closed mouth, and Anna was startled to realise that someone was sequestered away inside the dummy. Having no better plan in mind, she stood up and stamped forcefully on the crack. There was a groan of protest from inside the dummy. "Sorry" Anna said apologetically, before stamping one more time.

The crack widened to reveal a moving chest. "You _are_ a person!" she exclaimed in abject surprise. More muffled noises. "Okay, okay, I'm getting you out" she assured them, rolling her eyes. Digging her fingers between the crack, Anna prised open the dummy. The sharp edge of the cracked plastic dug into her fingers, but with a bit more straining on Anna's part, it weakened and shattered. She helped the trapped person to his feet, noting with interest that the transparent plastic was what made the Auton so lifelike.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The newly freed police man nodded frantically at her, "Yes – Thank you, thank you! Where am I?" he asked breathlessly.

"I don't know" Anna informed him calmly. The Doctor was still crying out for help, from within one of these humanoid shaped metal pods. She sent a feeling of patience through their psychic link, with the message _I'm coming. _"I need to get these pods open" she said, more to herself than the policeman.

By now he'd started to recover. "There's some sort of control panel over there" he pointed out, gesturing with a finger to the wall behind Anna. "So there is" she agreed, adding "You should keep a lookout, and warn me if the door starts to open, so you should probably close it first".

Anna walked over to the control panel and took a moment to familiarise herself with the controls. There were benefits to having all of time and space running through one's head; now that she could actually _control _the myriad of information, Anna could identify things she'd never seen in her life before. Even better, this control panel was very basic. This button deactivated the alarms, this switch opened the pods, and that lever deactivated the moulding process.

It only took a matter of minutes to shut down the machinery and open the pods, freeing lots of half suffocated, claustrophobic people. The one's already enclosed in Auton shells resisted as best they could the tug of their gun arm.

"Smash anyone who looks too shiny, they're probably an Auton!" exclaimed Paul; the man besides him took this instruction to heart, and punched the shiny red face of an out of breath businessman. Soon everyone fell into a collective hysteria, kicking and punching one another to see who cracked. One man lost the struggle fighting his moving plastic prison and sent a spray of bullets into the crowd. They screamed and scattered, taking cover behind the moulds as the bullets ricocheted around them. Suddenly there was a crashing sound, and the Auton toppled forwards to smash against the concrete floor.

The Doctor and Anna hurried forwards. "Why do you have a hammer? Never mind. Paul this is Anna, Anna, Paul start breaking more mannequins – but just, make sure they _are _mannequins" the Doctor introduced them to each other. Anna smiled pleasantly at Paul, who nodded back. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and turned it to setting 676 – microphone.

"Hello? Good, it works. Right, listen up because panicking _won't _get us anywhere! We need to find the exit, and since we're underground"- he was interrupted by Anna, who plucked the sonic screwdriver from his hands and brought it to her lips. "There's a tunnel at the other end of the corridor outside, that leads to the lair of the Nestene Consciousness. That's the alien that's controlling these Auton shells, and where the first platoon will emerge via an Underground Station".

"Which means" said the Doctor, as he took the sonic back, "it's our best chance of getting out _and _rescuing everyone from death by starvation in a plastic shell". He covered the microphone slash screwdriver with one hand and leaned to mutter in Anna's ear.

"How much time do we have before the invasion starts?"

"Ten minutes".

The plan, as outlined by the Doctor and Anna, was that they would move to the Nestene's lair, where the Doctor would scramble the control signal long enough for them to break the shells and free the people trapped inside. There would be a ladder leading up to an Underground Station, from which they could escape. Not everyone was in favour of the plan. "Why should we do as you say, anyway? Who gave you that authority?" one bull headed person demanded, and there were murmurs of agreement.

This time, Paul stepped in to point out, "it's not about authority, it's about getting out alive! If you lot don't want that, then stay here". This idea appealed even less, and soon even the most stubborn dissenters had reluctantly agreed to the plan; which was actually quite well structured, considering the Doctor's usual standards.

They moved down the corridor with great care. Anna found herself in step with Paul, and glanced at him curiously. "How did you meet the Doctor?" she inquired.

"He was helping me look for my girl, Adriana" he explained.

"Adriana is a Polish name, isn't it?" wondered Anna, even though she already knew the answer. Unaware of this, Paul nodded in confirmation. "She moved into the flat a while after I did. My mates wanted me to look after her, y'know, being the 'new guy' and all", he shrugged and grinned, "but she was pretty, and funny too, once I got to understand what she was saying. Things just sort of went on from there, I suppose" he explained.

Anna smiled at him. "Now's your chance to be her hero" she told Paul, and pointed ahead of them. The door was only a few footsteps away.

/

The hive mind of the Nestene Consciousness was cut off from this shipwrecked survivor, trapped below the ground of a protein rich world. Alone and half insane, the Nestene hatched a plan to overtake Earth with an army of unwilling soldiers, to force humans to convert their own kind to the Nestene's army of Autons. Their corpses would be a message to the rest of the universe.

Between these living zombies, and the signal projected into every plastic based product in the country, the Nestene knew its world domination would succeed person by screaming person. It activated the signal, and the line of plastic puppets began to helplessly march forward.

It expected the primitive transportation sections to be overrun easily.

It did not expect an unidentified sonic device to disrupt the signal, and a group of twenty or so civilians to come bursting into the room. Some of them were even screaming war cries. They set upon the Autons, bashing the plastic shells with pieces of pipe, trying their best not to hurt the people trapped inside.

Paul ran straight down the line of stiff, jerking autons, until he came to the one in which Adriana was trapped. One sharp tap of the hammer, and the whole wretched shell cracked like a spider web. He tore at the plastic, cutting his hands, but at last she was free. "Come on, run!" he told her, holding up her weight. Adriana's straw blonde hair fell into her eyes as they made a dash for the ladder.

More and more people were freed, shaken up and in desperate need of water. The more able bodied hoisted the weaker up the ladder and out into the station. The policeman called for an ambulance. A few of the kinder bystanders offered bottles of water and juice.

The Doctor strode over to the pit in the floor and glared down at the Nestene. "Guess who?"

_I do not know you. _

This threw the Doctor. "You must do" he insisted, "granted you've never encountered this body, but you have telepathic abilities, and a hive mind, can't you just look me up?"

_I lost contact with the Great Consciousness. Who are you? _

The Doctor realised that the Nestene really didn't know who he was. "How did you lose contact? The Nestene Consciousness is connected to every Nestene in the universe" he questioned. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the gurgling of the Nestene sounded almost…saddened.

_We have been shipwrecked for many years. We are starving._

"And you've only just started the invasion? Only, this is more than an invasion isn't it, it's a cry for help, great big 'here I am' to all your buddies out there" the Doctor commented lightly. Then his expression hardened. "Why trap innocent people inside Autons?" he questioned. Perhaps the Nestene had a good reason. It was extremely unlikely, however.

_Their bodies will become my calling card _replied the Nestene; so no, not a good reason at all.

"You want to know who I am, Nestene? I'm the Doctor". It actually recoiled in terrified recognition, and then…it tried to appeal to his better nature. _You have a TARDIS. You can return me to another world._

For one long moment, the Doctor stood silently on the walkway, staring down at the Nestene. Only Anna remained behind, the rest of the civilians had escaped into the open air at last.

No one had been seriously hurt. He could be merciful.

Anna could have been captured. Anna could have been killed. His child could have been killed. The Doctor could never allow that to happen. Not anymore.

Then the Doctor tossed a vial of anti-plastic high into the air, and ran.

/

_A/N: _Guess what my new conspiracy theory is?

The next few chapters will be better (I hope) because I've planned them out in advance.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue

Chapter Ten 

When she left the TARDIS and returned to her cell, mere moments after she'd left, River Song curled up on her narrow bed and cried. She did so quietly, not wishing to be disturbed by concerned or irritating guards. She did so not knowing for certain _why _she was crying, other than her hearts felt like they were slowly being torn in half.

A week and a day went by without word from the Doctor. She imagined him running himself ragged taking care of Anna, with River not in his thoughts at all. As she dozed off, she experienced a vision of some sort. It seemed to River as if she saw before her a duplicate of herself, one that she either had to dominate or be dominated by. Unable to tell whether she was awake or sleeping, River nonetheless readied herself for a mental struggle within her own mindscape.

"He's left us" spat her doppelganger, in a voice laced with thinly covered deceit. River threw off the verbal spar.

"He never would" she replied; but her voice shook a little, and that tremor betrayed her. The 'anti-River' smirked, and rebutted this not so convincing comment immediately.

"You're not special. The TARDIS is the Doctor's constant companion, and now she's moved in to take our place".

"You're talking as if we're the same person".

"We are the same person, idiot" anti-River replied in a snide voice, sneering. "I've always been here in the back of your head. Don't be blinded by love, River". Her doppelganger adopted a more supportive attitude, though even that was mocking, "love was what made you give up your freedom, and what for? A selfish fool with a stupid TARDIS that goes and gets herself pregnant" she said bitterly.

River couldn't help but agree; after all, these were her thoughts, and her mind was simply forcing her to confront them. She loved the Doctor enough to destroy the universe for him, murder him at his request and let herself be arrested for it. Deep down, she had always doubted the Doctor's love for her; whether he'd married her because of his affections or simply to get close to her.

"What should I do?" she found herself asking her double, who smiled cruelly.

"What you should have done a long time ago".

River hung her head, a stray curl brushing against the corner of her eye. She tucked it behind her ear. Perhaps the other River was right; she should end whatever bizarre, timey wimey relationship she had with the Doctor, and step out of his life. No doubt she'd still meet him at earlier points in his time stream, but leaving him now might soften the hurt of his not knowing her. "You're right" she admitted miserably, "I ought to end it now, before it's too late".

"Yes, you should. Do it before he hurts you or anyone else again. You're asleep, in case you haven't realised" explained anti-River, "so when you wake up, call him, and when he comes running, _bang_!" she shouted suddenly, and laughed.

River sighed in regret, and looked up at her alter ego. Much to her shock and dismay, her double had transformed into Mels, right down to the jet black braids and snarky smile. "Whilst you're at it, you might as well get rid of that Anna, too. Sure the baby dies, but with a father like that it's technically better off not being born". Mels laughed as if she'd just said the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

Meanwhile, River Song was staring at her past incarnation in disbelief and disgust. "I should have known you didn't mean just leaving him" she said angrily. Mels gave her a mirth filled stare.

"Leaving him dead, more like. Come on, Melody, time to put that training into action!" she said with sickening glee.

River straightened up and glared at her. "Don't call me Melody. I'm not Melody, I'm not _you. _Not anymore. Do you really think that a little disagreement is all it takes for me to regress?" she demanded angrily.

For the first time, Mels' arrogance wavered a little, but she soon shot back, "They won't stay _little_ for long. He'll always put Anna first, now that she's the one with the baby; get rid of the baby, that's what you should do" she said in a flash of inspiration.

River couldn't believe what she was hearing; from her own subconscious no less. Her anger flared like a disturbed cobra and she stalked forwards, eyes narrowed almost to slits. "Go back into my mind, now. I'll never listen to you, ever" she announced decisively. This echo of Mels, unfortunately, was every bit as stubborn as her real life counterpart. River closed her eyes and willed herself to leave this nightmare state.

"Shutting me out isn't going to change anything. Whatever's going on between you and the Doctor, it might as well have never happened. It'll always be there, hanging over you…he'll leave you, he'll leave you!" With that final lash of her whip like tongue, the pseudo Mels sank back into the darkness of River's subconscious mind.

Upon regaining awareness, River was unable to move or speak. She'd been so deeply asleep for so long, and woken so abruptly, that she was overcome with sleep paralysis. Her limp arms seemed to not belong to her, lying awkwardly on her chest as they did and refusing to respond. She felt dizzy from the sudden change in perspective, and unable to breath properly. At long last her slackened muscles responded to her whim, and she sat up shakily.

So it was still there, the urge to kill the Doctor. River had held back that urge ever since the fateful day in Berlin, when that impossible man saved her life, _defended her actions, _all whilst dying at her hand. The psychopath within her had fallen in love with his darkness, even as she despised him for it, and when she found there was so much more to him, that hatred blew away, like old cobwebs from her mind.

For pity's sake, it had only been a week! If she was capable of coming close to reviving Melody Pond, the killer of the Doctor, after such a short time, what would happen if he left her here for a month? Or a year?

Well, then she'd just have to go and find him herself. River shook the thoughts of being abandoned out of her head. She was not Mels anymore. She was not the Silence's pet anymore. Her inner recitation was interrupted by the familiar groaning and screeching that heralded the TARDIS. The Doctor stuck his head out through the door. "River? Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

River took a deep breath, ready to release it along with a casual "Hello, sweetie", and suggest a trip to Babylon or the Falls of Novena. She looked up at the Doctor, and the sight of his face brought everything rushing back. Choking back her flirty greeting, River burst into tears.

The Doctor's eyes widened; he stepped from the TARDIS and quickly sonicked the security camera and the lock in succession. "River, River, River" he repeated her name in anxiety, and placed his hands as gently as possible on her shoulders. River's hands flew from her face and grasped his suspenders, pulling him forward. The Doctor just about managed to keep his balance, and held her close. He smoothed a hand over her wild curls as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Leading a still weeping River into the TARDIS, the Doctor held her by the shoulders. "What is it, what's wrong?" he asked quietly. River gulped back a second wave of tears and whimpered. "I…I…" she stammered, struggling to force words past the lump in her throat. "I wanted to kill you!" she cried in anguish, burying her face in his neck. The Doctor held her close and rocked her gently. After a while, River pulled back and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She was full of mucus, and her hair was an absolute mess… "I must look absolutely _hideous_" she whimpered.

The Doctor shook his head. "You've always looked beautiful to me" he replied, before giving her a soft kiss. It wasn't chaste, but it wasn't desperate either; it was a Goldilocks sort of kiss, just right. When they pulled apart, River was smiling for the first time in days. Her husband smiled tenderly back at her, before subtly directing her attention behind her with a flick of his gaze.

River turned to see Anna, smiling at her with a motherly expression, and holding out a box of tissues. "Thanks" she said gratefully, if a little nasally, and reached out to take the box. Once she'd dried her eyes and cleared her nose, River gave Anna a second look. The first time she had seen this avatar of the TARDIS, she'd been pale and dishevelled; now her cheeks were full of pink colour, and her long brown hair was wrapped in golden bands, hanging over her shoulder in a curly twisted braid. Her large brown eyes were full of remorse.

"I'm so sorry, River" she began before the other woman could speak. "I didn't mean to trigger this, and I should have realised it would happen much sooner than I did. I hope you can forgive me" Anna said regretfully.

"I don't understand. What did you trigger? Do you know why I had that nightmare?" River asked in confusion, looking between the Doctor and Anna.

"You had a nightmare?" asked the Doctor. Anna shook her head and answered for River, "It wasn't a nightmare. Or rather, it was more than an ordinary nightmare. You're melding" she revealed. The Doctor's eyes widened, and he gazed at River with an odd sort of pity; the sort given to victims of accidents that suffered brain damage. River wasn't in the mood to be pitied. "Would one of you please explain what the heck is going on?" she demanded.

Anna gestured to the captain's chair, and River took a seat, with the Doctor kneeling besides her. She looked at the Doctor and Anna with raised eyebrows. "River, when you regenerated in Berlin, three versions of your consciousness melded, they mixed together. It's both an effect and a cause of post regenerative trauma" explained Anna.

"You haven't had the proper psychic training to cope with it" the Doctor continued, his long fingers wrapped around River's hands. "Your mind is fractured, River, and your past personalities are trying to reassert themselves".

River felt a mixture of relief, that her subconscious desires weren't quite her fault, fear that she'd even harboured any such thoughts, and more confusion. She looked up at Anna and questioned, "I still don't understand, what this has to do with you?"

Anna bit her lip nervously, and swallowed. "Your mind has been fractured ever since Berlin, but…it needed something to bring the conflict to the surface. Or someone, in this case" she explained, with a hint of bitterness at herself tracing her voice.

"It's not your fault" the Doctor murmured quietly, looking up at Anna.

"Yes, I mean, you couldn't have known this would happen" River pointed out.

Anna sighed and nodded. "True, but I still feel responsible. We can heal your mind, River, with time; and I'd like to suggest something…radical, perhaps that's the wrong word, but it ought to ensure nothing like this ever happens again" she revealed. The Doctor and River waited patiently for her to elaborate.

"I propose that we form a three way bond" she stated calmly.

/

_A/N: _ Sleep paralysis actually is a real and, I can attest from personal experience, very disturbing phenomenon.

Expect slight angst and possible risk of squee-ing ahead.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue

Chapter Eleven

When Anna made her suggestion, the Doctor couldn't believe his ears. "You've got to be kidding. You do realise that's impossible, right? You can't form a bond with more than two people!" he protested.

Anna quirked an eyebrow, and gave the Doctor a patronisingly sympathetic smile. "_You _can't" she informed him, much to his chagrin. River decided that she did indeed like Anna, after all. "How would a three way bond work?" she asked, feeling more interested in where this was going, and less likely to burst into tears again.

"Well, it wouldn't be a bond as such" said Anna, as she casually examined her fingernails, "it'd be more like sharing out our piles of good things to balance out the piles of bad things". The Doctor grinned in reminiscent joy. "You remembered what I said, oh, you clever…ahem, anyway, Anna, are you sure you've thought all of this through?" he inquired hesitantly.

Brown eyes narrowed at his, and Anna's mouth thinned to a tight line as she scowled in irritation. "Of _course _I have, Thief" she replied through gritted teeth, "and it would be pleasant, perhaps, if you deigned to _trust_ me". The sharp tone of her voice, and the annoyed expression of her face combined to make the Doctor feel quite guilty. "Sorry. I trust you, of course I do. Right, let's get your mind sorted, Mrs Song" he announced, pulling River out of her seat and down the corridor. Anna rolled her eyes and followed them, to make sure they made it to the Zero Room.

/

River's head was pounding, but when she stepped over the threshold and into the Zero Room, a weight seemed to rise from her shoulders, and she gave a soft sigh of relief. The Doctor grinned happily at the effect it was having on her, and at the chance to show off. "We're completely cut off from all outside interference, even the laws of physics. Watch this" he boasted, before he willed himself to levitate.

The Doctor's wife was impressed; his TARDIS less so. "We are here to heal River's subconscious, Thief, _not_ to float about" she scolded her pilot.

"Quit acting like my mother".

"Cease behaving like a child".

The Doctor proceeded to behave like a very young child by sticking his tongue out at her. He gave River an encouraging grin, and she found it so infectious that she couldn't help but smile back.

"Are you ready, River? I won't push you, if you're not" Anna reassured her kindly. River took a deep breath and nodded. "It's fine, I'm ready" she said confidently. Anna carefully pressed her fingers against River's temples, raised her own telepathic shields, and prepared to enter the other woman's mind.

"I'm not as good at this as my Sisters; of course, there are none of them left to compare myself to" Anna admitted in a rather melancholy way. Then she shook her head to refocus. "Remember, if there's anything you don't want me to see, put it behind a closed door" she instructed. River couldn't nod easily with fingers pressing on her temples, but Anna sensed her understanding. Slowly but surely, Anna pushed past River's poorly constructed barriers and into her mind.

With grave sadness, Anna observed the sight of River's shattering psyche. Memories overlaid memories, until they blurred and it became impossible to tell one from the others. Memories that should have been filled with happiness instead were tainted with tear wrenching sadness. Negative desires, thoughts and fears swirled like serrated leaves in a windstorm, jabbing at River's attention and slicing through her flimsy mental walls. There were doors dotted all over, but they were fragile and insecure.

Beginning straight away, Anna began by sending out healing tendrils to every nook and cranny of River's mind. She moved with meticulous care through River's subconscious, healing and ordering it all as she went.

She began to form a pattern within River's mind, one that would feel natural and comfortable. First, she pieced together as many of River's memories as she could, and gave them the imaginary form of smooth pebbles in a river bed. The water was the form of River's emotions; Anna created bands of them, happy, sad, angry and so forth; with the thoughts and memories that were connected to them in the correct streams of 'water'.

Strewn along the banks of River's mental stream were the familiar places of her life. Out here near the mouth, Anna could see Amy and Rory's semi-detached, looking oddly out of place without the houses on either side. On the other side of the river was the sprawling complex of Storm Cage, complete with thunder and lightning. However, Anna willed herself to reach the source of the river; and also, the source of River's problems.

She found herself outside the entrance to Graystark Hall, recognising it from her Thief's memories. The gate was locked and barred; Anna placed her hands on it and sent out a sensation of seeking admittance. There was a moment of creaking hesitance, before the chains unravelled themselves and the gates swung open beneath her palms.

Inside the memory construct, Anna encountered River's memories of Dr Renfrew and of Madame Kovarian. They were as ghosts, utterly harmless, but she still felt a jolt of hatred at the sight of that foul woman. She left the memories muttering to themselves and ascended the staircase to Melody Pond's bedroom. A door opened at her approach and Anna knew that she had reached the right part of River's mind.

River's first incarnation, Melody Pond, lived within the walls of this imaginary orphanage; only for her, it wasn't imaginary. Melody's world consisted of the building and the memories, which she perceived as ghosts, haunting it. There had never been anything new, so she was very surprised when a woman she'd never seen before came into her room. "Hello, Melody. My name is Anna" she uttered softly, smiling like an angel. Melody looked up at her, full of curiosity.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before" Melody told her. Anna sat down in a chair and held out her arms in a gesture of welcome. "My name is Anna. Come here, child. It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you" she said tenderly. At first, Melody hung back out of fear, but Anna's caring eyes and gentle smile won her over. She trotted over and allowed herself to be picked up and cuddled.

Cradling Melody in her lap, Anna promised the little girl that she wouldn't be harmed, and asked her why she seemed so afraid. "I thought Mels had sent you" the little girl whispered, and Anna shook her head. "No, I was invited here. Melody, do you know anyone called River Song?" she inquired.

Melody nodded eagerly, as pleased to know the answer as any child would be. Then her face fell, and she sniffed. "Sometimes, I can hear River and Mels arguing with each other. Mels says I have to be like her and hate the Doctor, but River says I have to be like her and trust him. I don't know what to do" she lamented.

"It's your choice, Melody. Mels cannot force you to be someone you don't want to be. But you should know, that the Doctor isn't the man I'm sure Mels told you he is. He and I only want to help you, and Mels, and River".

Melody fell silent, thinking hard. At last she looked up at Anna with a questioning expression, and asked "Are you sure the Doctor isn't a bad man?"

"I've never been surer of anything in my life" replied Anna, and the certainty in her voice seemed to convince Melody a tiny bit.

"And he isn't angry and scary?"

"The only time the Doctor becomes angry or scary, is when people he cares about are in danger".

Melody sniffed again and gave Anna a small smile. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better….but I, I still can't choose. I don't want Mels to be cross. She says she'll h-hurt me if I make her c-c-cross!" she explained, with a small sob. Anna gave Melody a comforting smile and hugged her again.

"Don't worry dear, I'll speak to Mels, and make her see sense. Come on, I think it's time you were in bed". She ushered a weakly protesting Melody into bed, and tucked her in. It all felt so natural; was this a side effect of her pregnancy? Of impending motherhood?

"I wish I had a teddy bear" sighed Melody.

"You can have anything you ask for, Melody Pond. The world you live in is very special, it grants wishes" Anna told her conspiratorially, with a wink. Melody's eyes widened in childish wonder; then she closed them tightly and whispered under her breath. When she opened her eyes, a bright orange teddy bear wearing a red cape was sitting on the bed. With a cry of delight, Melody tugged it towards her and held on tight.

"Good night, Anna. Thank you" she murmured sleepily. Anna chuckled lightly and kissed her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, little one".

With a deep breath, Anna willed herself to another corner of River's subconscious. It was time to confront Mels.

/

Mels lived within a small cottage, another memory construct of the place at which she stayed whilst living in Leadworth. It had never felt like home.

She was not entirely surprised when Anna marched into her living room. "Mels" she greeted the younger woman curtly. All of the warmth and gentleness that had captivated little Melody Pond, were swallowed by Anna's supreme disappointment.

"I'm gonna have you arrested, for breaking and entering" Mels said impolitely, giving Anna an evil leer.

"Stop this right now" Anna scolded; but Mels only scoffed at her, and replied "What, did you think you could just jump into River's head, tell me I'm being naughty and I'd just stop? Don't make me laugh".

Anna raised an eyebrow. "So you know that your reality is River's subconscious" she stated, eyeing Mels carefully. If she had worked out that her world was not real, it would explain how easily she was able to manipulate it, as if she were experiencing a constant lucid dream.

"Well, duh, of course I knew that, ever since I got stuck in here, not like Melody, she's just a stupid kid" Mels said lazily, and Anna frowned at her in disapproval.

"You've been threatening Melody and River, trying to twist them to your own ends. Yet if you know this isn't real, then you know that your mission is over. You can do anything you want here, why are you so desperate to cling to the past?" she asked, and unwittingly struck a nerve. Mels, who had been cold shouldering her as she spoke, rounded on Anna with a furious and pained expression.

"Don't you get it, the past is all I have! It's all I know!" she shouted, and Anna finally saw the echo of the innocent girl Mels used to be…the girl Mels should have been. Chasing away these regretful thoughts, Anna waited for Mels to speak again. Goaded by the older woman's silence, she continued to rant, attempting to provoke Anna into a response of some sort.

"No one ever tries to see it from _my _point of view, do they? It's always 'River is special, 'River is in trouble', and I'm bloody sick to death of her. I was taken from my parents because of _him, _and then, when they finally find out who I am, I get shot. Do they care? No, they start worrying about River Song, worrying about the Doctor; and then she goes and saves him, the manipulative murdering liar who condemned me to a life of misery because of his own selfishness!"

Mels panted as her tirade came to an end; she gave Anna a death glare, but merely received a tilted head and a raised brow in return. "I see" Anna said quietly, as she rose from her chair. "Before I leave, just tell me one more thing. Is there anyone who can convince you? Anyone whose advice you respect?" she inquired of Mels, who huffed and shrugged, but refused to answer.

Anna locked the door of the cottage behind her; she didn't wish to have to imprison Mels, but it was for her own good. Hopefully, it would not be too late to help Mels; because she was the key to helping River.

She retreated from River's subconscious, and strengthened her oceanic like telepathic barrier as she did so. As she emerged from the telepathic trance, she heard River give a soft sigh of contentment and relief. The Doctor was also relieved; they'd been mentally linked for just under an hour, and he'd begun to worry that something had gone wrong. Several times River had seemed on the verge of collapse, as if Anna's fingers on her temples were the only things keeping her upright.

Then Anna released her, and River fainted right into the Doctor's arms. He checked her pulse, and deduced that she merely needed a few moments of rest as her mind re-adjusted. Scooping her up in his arms, the Doctor smiled down at River and then winked at Anna. "Well done, old girl" he congratulated her; but Anna swiftly shook her head and replied "We're not finished yet, my Doctor. Come; let us place River someplace more comfortable".

This more comfortable place turned out to be Anna's own bedroom, which she had subconsciously moved nearer to the Zero Room. The very moment that River's eyes opened, and her green irises focused on herself and the Doctor, Anna burst out in a flurry of excited speech. "I know how to heal you!"

/

_A/N: _Please review! It's the only thing that's encouraging me to keep writing this story, knowing people are still interested. And don't be afraid to suggest improvements, I'll take it all on board!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue

_A/N: _Timeline Clarification

In the Pond's personal timeline, it's been five months since 'Asylum of the Daleks'.

In the Doctor's personal timeline, it's been one and a half months since Anna was created, and a week since 'Asylum of the Daleks'.

I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter Twelve

River blinked in surprise at the eagerness in Anna's voice. "You…you do? How?" she questioned, struggling to sit up and look around her. The Doctor put his arm around her shoulders and helped her into a sitting position, with a look of concern in his warm grey green eyes. River looked around the bedroom; the oak panelling and curtained bed of the Victorian era clashing oddly with the mishmash of futuristic gadgets and scribbles of Gallifreyan writing. Then again, considering the bedroom belonged to a time machine-cum-Time Lady, the blend of past and future rather suited Anna.

Anna nodded, and asked River, "When you were Mels, or when she was you, did you listen to your parents?"

River started to shake her head, and then paused. "Not…not really" she admitted. "To be honest, they just went along with whatever I suggested. Well, Amy did. Rory sort of just got dragged into things". She remembered Rory berating her about shoplifting from the post office (_"Lighten, up, Rory, it's only a few letters and stamps!" – "but Mels, stealing is _wrong, _no matter what you're taking or who from" _), then she realised that her memories were no longer clouded, no longer made her painfully sad.

"My head…it feels so much clearer…I thought you said you weren't good at this?" she asked Anna rhetorically, surprised that such a talented telepath would sell herself short.

"I'm not _that _good, but River, this is important. I have a plan, well it's more of an idea than a plan, but it will only work if Mels will listen to your parents" Anna insisted. Her mood had somehow whiplashed from eager and confident to serious in a matter of seconds. River could sense the gravity of the situation; she was not healed, not yet. And she wouldn't be until the Mels inside her mind could be stopped.

"I think she would. If it's something important; but I don't understand how they're _supposed _to talk to her. She is still inside my head, after all" River pointed out.

"Oh, that's okay. I can teach you how to bring other people into your mind. You're a good telepath, River – or at least, you could be" Anna praised her.

/

For a few days, Anna taught River the basics of touch telepathy. The Doctor wanted to teach her as well, but somehow found himself demoted to the role of tea maker and biscuit giver. He grumbled and complained about the unfairness of it all; only to receive twin disapproving frowns, and hear badly suppressed giggling when he'd left the room in a huff.

"Ow!" exclaimed River, as she hit one of Anna's barriers and was subsequently forced from her mind. "Are you okay?" asked Anna, and River nodded. She rubbed her head with the heel of her hand, kneading her skin.

"It's just so bloody hard" she complained, after a gulp of tea. "It feels like I'm blindly walking into walls every time I go in there" she pointed accusingly at Anna's forehead.

"That's because you're thinking too much, River" Anna replied calmly. "You have to keep your mind clear, so that you can actually see what is happening in my head. There's always a way past barriers, unless they are specifically designed to never be broken. So I suppose in that sense, there isn't _always _a way past them. Am I getting off topic? Yes, I am. River dear, you can't pass through walls, not even in somebody's head. You have to look for the door. Are you ready to try again?"

River sighed and reluctantly agreed. She cleared her mind, picturing all her thoughts flowing into a massive ocean, impossible to traverse. It was a part she found difficult, because reminding herself not to think inevitably led to her thinking. Her hands were lying on her lap; Anna took them and placed them against her own face.

/

After a little more practice, River could bring Anna and the Doctor into her subconscious, and transport them around inside her head. The plan was to bring either Amy or Rory into River's mind, and have them try to reason with Mels, to persuade her to let go of her past.

The Doctor rang the doorbell, and contemplated what to say to Amy when she swung open the door. In the event, he didn't have to worry about that, because when the door opened his mouth said "You're not Amy". He hadn't meant to say that, it had just come out. The Doctor looked again at the person before him and blurted, "You're her aunt!"

Sharon raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Yes, but I wonder who _you _are? After all, you can't possibly be the same man that pretended to be Amelia's imaginary friend" she protested, eyeing him suspiciously.

Shifting anxiously on the spot, the Doctor glanced back to where Anna and River were waiting besides the TARDIS. "No, I _am _Amelia's imaginary friend – well, not that imaginary! I err, was wondering where Amelia was, and her husband obviously" he explained. Apparently his boundless charm had no effect on Sharon, because she frowned angrily.

"Oh, don't tell me _he's _in on it too!" she groaned. The Doctor became confused; who was in on what? Sharon continued, "I thought Rory would get that girl grounded, and get all these ridiculous notions out of her head! Now you listen to me, whoever you are. You stay away from those two, or I'll call the police" she threatened him, before slamming the door in his face.

"I take it they're not home?" guessed River, and the Doctor shook his head. "This is ridiculous, I should have just tracked the registration number on Rory's car" he grumbled.

The cherry red Jaguar was parked neatly in one of the 'reserved for staff' spaces. A logo sat on the edge of the veranda. **Something New – children's home, **in bold white letters over a TARDIS blue background. There was a sunflower next to the words, its bright yellow colour clashing cheerfully with the blue and white.

The reception area was airy and spacious, with a panelled wood flooring that was just made for sliding on. "Don't even think about it, Doctor" said River, and the Doctor started. "Think about what? I wasn't thinking about anything, much less sliding – ah!" He clamped his mouth shut when he realised they'd tricked him. River and Anna exchanged knowing smirks.

Rory emerged from a side door and spotted the threesome. "Rory Williams!" the Doctor announced in excitement, noticing him but a moment later. Rory briefly allowed the exuberant Time Lord to hug him; then he pushed past the Doctor and embraced his daughter. River melted into the hug with a sigh of relief; it felt good to see her father again.

"What's wrong?" he asked when he pulled away. "Trust you to notice" River quipped lightly, adding "it's nothing to worry about. Just a Time Lord thing, we need yours and Amy's help sorting it out". When Rory glanced at Anna and the Doctor, they both nodded in earnest agreement.

"Sure", he shrugged, deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt, "I'll take you to her". They made their way through the children's home, past framed crayon drawings and vases of flowers. It was bright and cheerful. "Amy started this charity as a sort of project. She's started on dozens of them, and they never last but this time, she stuck with it, like a dog with a bone" explained Rory. The Doctor smiled fondly; his Amy Pond, model turned social worker.

"What's the charity raising money for, exactly?" asked River.

"Well, Amy wasn't sure _what _to raise money for, so she raises it for pretty much everything. People with depression like Van Gogh, parents who have lost children like we sort of did, even Third World problems. Our sunflower logo is getting to be just as popular as Marie Curie's daffodil" Rory said with a touch of pride in his voice. Two young girls ran past, giggling madly and dodging between the adults legs.

Rory led them to Amy's office. It had a large window, comfy swirly chairs and a large oak desk. "Doctor!" she cried in delight upon his entrance. "Hello, Pond! Sorry, it's Williams now isn't it, but you know, Hello Williams just doesn't have the same ring to it, and you're not even listening to me are you?" he asked Amy, who shook her head. "Nope, stopped listening. Hi, River, Anna. What are you all doing here?" she asked.

"River says she needs our help sorting out some Time Lord thing or other" Rory supplied helpfully. Amy shifted a cardboard box full of folders and papers off the nearest chair and gestured for her daughter to sit down. "I have questions" announced the Doctor, only to be ignored completely. "Oi, did you know your aunt is in your house? What sort of aunt lives at their daughter's house?" he asked incredulously.

Amy rolled her eyes (he considered offering to take her to an optometrist), and informed him that her aunt was _cleaning _the house. "She needed a new job, her old one had to make some cutbacks" explained Rory.

"I'm not surprised" the Doctor muttered under his breath; not quietly enough, it seemed, because the others raised their eyebrows at him. "She didn't believe I was your imaginary friend! Said she was gonna have me arrested!" he cried indignantly.

"Doctor, if my aunt ever believed me about you, I wouldn't have been sent to four psychiatrists. Never mind Aunt Sharon, what's this Time Lord thingy you need help with?" inquired Amy.

Between them, River, Anna and the Doctor explained the concept of melding, and the telepathic training that River had undergone with Anna's tutelage. "Mels and Melody – my two previous lives – they're still in my head, somewhere. And Mels wants me to…regress, I suppose, back into her" River clarified.

"So Mels just wants you to look like her again? Can you do that?" asked Rory. The Doctor took it upon himself to reply. "In some cases, very rarely, a Time Lord can degenerate and appear as a past incarnation. To be honest it was usually seen as a big hassle, not much point to it really. But Mels doesn't just want River to _look _like her, Rory. She wants River to _be_ her. To be my killer again" he explained, gazing at River. It was difficult to tell exactly what thoughts were spinning in his head.

Anna piped up, "I've spoken to Mels, inside River's mind. She as good as told me that she feels neglected, and angry. One of you has to go into River's mind and convince Mels to let go of her past. If she doesn't, she'll keep trying to force River into a mental regression" she described, and River's parents glanced at one another.

"You should do it" Rory told Amy, whose brown eyes widened in surprise. "Mels was always closer to you anyway. She won't listen to me; I mean, she never did when we were kids". Amy considered it; she and Mels _had _been very close, partners in crime really, but Mels had hardly listened to her or Rory. There was also the small matter of how she was supposed to talk to her best friend when she was, in effect, inside River's head. "But I'm not even telepathic" she objected.

"Don't worry; it's just like stepping through a door. Will you do it, Amy?" River asked her. There was a slight pause, before Amy smiled widely and reached over to squeeze River's hand. "What sort of mother would I be if I said no?" she asked rhetorically.

The Doctor grinned. "Brilliant, you'll do great, both of you. So, Roranicus, any chance of a tour for me and Anna here?" he quizzed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Rory looked unsure, but when his wife and adult daughter waved him off, he submitted and took them to see the children's home. When they reached the garden out in the back, where the home's young residents were playing football. A badly aimed shot sent the ball whizzing towards them; the Doctor caught it with the toe of his boot and bounced it on his knee.

"Can we have our ball back?" asked the girl who had kicked it. She had short blonde hair, and grass stains all over her t-shirt and shorts ensemble; a typical tomboy.

"Just a sec" replied the Doctor. He stepped away from Anna and Rory, still bouncing the ball, and performed a trick with it that sent it up in the air, before catching it on his back. "Know any tricks like that?" he asked the girl mischievously, and just like that, the kids crowded around, clamouring to be taught. Anna smiled, happy as always to see him enjoying himself.

Rory trusted the Doctor with the children, and he suggested to Anna that they leave the Time Lord to his footballing antics for the time being. "I don't know about you, but I could kill for a cup of tea right now" he sighed. When Anna gave him an alarmed stare, he added "erm, it's just an expression".

She relaxed at that, and nodded. Rory called to the Doctor, told him where they'd be; of course he probably wasn't paying attention. The staff kitchen was empty, and it didn't take Rory long to whip up a couple of cups of tea. "Mels always had two sugars in her tea, as well" he commented as he passed Anna a steaming mug. "I suppose River has the same. Um, so, you're the TARDIS, right? And the Doctor said River was the Child of the TARDIS. How does that work, exactly?" he asked.

Anna blew the steam from her tea and took a delicate sip. "It doesn't" she stated calmly. Rory shrugged and conceded that it no doubt did not. "Did River…did she inherit anything from you? In terms of personality, I mean?" he wondered aloud, and Anna negated it with a shake of her head. "No, not personality – or perhaps, she did. You know if it makes you less confused, let's not see River as my Child" she suggested, "instead, she could be…"

She paused here, a slight frown knitting her finely arched brows. River could be…could be…a smile blossomed on Anna's face because she realised exactly what River could be, which niche in her Heart she could sit in, a void that even her dear Thief couldn't fill. "She could be my Sister". A faraway expression melted onto her face; she stared into the middle distance with one hand wrapped loosely around her mug. The hairs on the back of Rory's neck stood up; Anna had the same half sad, half fond, entirely reminiscent face he'd seen on the Doctor all too many times.

In the end, Anna seemed to realise she had begun daydreaming, and gave Rory a reassuring smile. "What else is wrong?" she inquired, and he stiffened slightly. She seemed to read him too easily. "Sorry, what? Nothing's wrong" he lied, even though he knew it was no good. Something in the calm, kind gaze that Anna levelled at him made him want to tell her all his troubles.

"I…it's just…I don't know how much more of this I can take!" he groaned, face-palming. "River being our daughter and our best friend and our other best friend's wife, these 2000 years of memories inside my head, the fact that my life will _never _be normal again; it just gets hard to deal with, sometimes" he sighed, and slumped on the table. His break would be over soon. Five more minutes of peace…

He glanced at Anna, who had her head tilted to the side in the manner of a curious puppy. "But you _are _dealing with it" she pointed out. "My Thief has had so many wonderful companions, but I doubt any of them could have gone through what you and your wife have, and still remain strong. And…it will get better. It's possible to come to terms with anything, given time".

Rory considered this, and understood that Anna was right. They sipped the rest of their tea in silence, and then Rory glanced at his watch. Two minutes before the end of his break. "Listen, I uh, have to get back to work. D'you think you can find your way around okay?" he asked Anna, who merely gave a polite nod. Rory gave her a thumbs up and then headed for the door; before he could open it, however, Amy and River walked in.

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere. Where's the Doctor?" his wife asked, sliding into his vacated chair. "Oh, he's err, out in the garden with the children, so…what happened? Is River…is her mind okay now?" he questioned.

River grinned at her father. "Yes, daddy, it's all better now, mother won the argument with Mels" she reassured him.

Anna stood up and whispered in River's ear. "_Let him speak to Melody_". River smiled. "Come on, Rory, there's something I want to do for you" she announced, steering him away despite his objections that he had to get back to work. Amy placed the two used mugs into the sink, filled them with water, and turned to Anna.

"Thank you" she said, "for helping River, I mean. 'Cos, at first I thought, you'd be fighting over the Doctor, but I guess I was wrong" she admitted. Anna smiled. "You're welcome, Amy. Excuse me? I must see my Thief".

The Doctor didn't particularly wish to stop playing with the kids, but when one of his incredible tricks came perilously close to smashing the screen door, he accepted that perhaps he ought to quit whilst he was ahead. He gave a few last pointers to the kids and set them off playing an entire football match, before following Anna to the TARDIS like a student following the teacher to the headmaster's office.

Inside the TARDIS, Anna gave him a beaming smile. "I think we've done well, don't you? Our baby seems happy about it" she said, showing him the glowing light. He'd altered the colour, at her request, to silver; it reminded her of sunlight hitting the leaves of the forests on Gallifrey, whereas the green light had reminded her of House and her deceased Sisters.

"Obviously, I mean yes, we've done well. We've done brilliantly. Anna, how come the baby never seems to be in danger? Not that I want it to be in danger, of course, I'm just surprised there hasn't been any, you know, complications" he rambled.

"It's only been a month or so; and there is a reason our child is healthy and well, but I don't think I should tell you".

"Why not?"

"You'll say it's the adjectival form of some yellow dairy product".

"Cheesy. I believe the word you're looking for, darling, is cheesy. And undoubtedly, it is cheesy, but I still want to know the reason".

"Very well, let me show you". Anna placed her fingers on his temples, and allowed him access to her mind. For a moment, the Doctor was almost overwhelmed by the feelings of love and protection that filled him from his crown to the soles of his feet. Nestled in the midst of this warmth and comfort was a tiny golden spark, that reached out and brushed against the edge of his consciousness with a feather light touch. The spark was his baby, his precious child's mind.

His knees, his _whole body _trembled with love. He wrapped his own mind around his child's, and caught the barest glimpse of himself cradling this wondrous life in his physical arms. Anna's love for the baby was so strong; it even protected even the embryo in her womb. She loved his child and his companions and River and himself equally, and the Doctor had no idea what he'd ever done to deserve her.

He slowly came back to himself, eyes wet with unshed tears. He could still sense that tiny glimmer of life at the edges of his mind, and sent all the love he could muster towards it. Anna gave him an adoring smile and his hearts melted. The Doctor said the first thing that came into his head. "That was _incredible_".

And then, he kissed her.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

I bring you an angsty, creepy chapter, because it's number thirteen. Beware…

Chapter Thirteen 

River dived down behind a pile of sandbags, and fired a shot back at the pursuing Sontarons. Why did she always manage to antagonise Sontarons? Surely they ought to be shooting at Rutans rather than herself. She couldn't keep running through this battlefield forever, but her Vortex Manipulator was fried, and worse still, her ammunition was running low as well. This makeshift barrier would not protect her for long; suddenly, the roaring whoosh of time being displaced rang throughout the battle zone.

The Sontarons slowed their inexorable march as the TARDIS materialised before them. River grinned and gave the short soldiers a cheeky wave goodbye, before darting through the door.

She found herself in a parlour, with comfortable armchairs and a blazing fire. Anna reclined on one such chair, reading _Great Expectations; _her feet crossed at the ankle and propped up on a stool. She wore a simple blue shift, and her hair was loose and curly. Two cups of tea were placed on the table between the chairs, the steam still curling from the surface.

"You're a literal lifesaver" River complimented breathlessly. "What are sisters for?" Anna asked pleasantly. River smiled, unlaced her muddy combat boots and slid her feet into the fluffy slippers by the mat. Shuffling over to the other armchair and sinking into it, River breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, that feels good. Think I might indulge myself for a bit, before I have to go back to Storm Cage" she said, stretching.

"You don't have to go back" Anna told her, but River merely chuckled. "You sound just like the Doctor when you say that; where is he, by the way?" she inquired.

"He's in the console room, of course".

"Oh, of _course_. How silly of me" said River, sarcastically. "Where did you move it to?" she asked as an afterthought.

"Move it to? I didn't move it anywhere. I just recalibrated the dimensional interface device; well, you can't just go through a _door _to get between dimensions. That would be silly" stated Anna, as if it were obvious to even the daftest person.

"Do you recalibrate it often?" asked River, and Anna smirked. "Let's just say, Thief is banned from certain places" she informed River with a wink.

River's grin grew wider. "Goodness. I never knew you were so bad" she teased Anna, who rolled her eyes, laughing, and replied "You'd have done the same thing if you had been me…I love my Thief, but I'm not exactly a fan of his attempts to sing opera" she announced. Whilst River pondered on this, and Anna read her book, neither noticed the Doctor enter the room from a side door.

He tiptoed over the noiseless carpet, reaching out a hand to startle River as a joke. He got about a foot away from her when Anna muttered "Hello, Thief", and he yelped in fright, stumbling backwards into the mantelpiece and sending an ancient Egyptian vase careening to the floor. It shattered into tiny pieces of painted ceramic, which the Doctor stared at as if they'd glue themselves back together.

"Doctor!" Anna cried scoldingly, "that was a priceless artefact!"

"Who puts 'priceless artefacts' on mantelpieces? It isn't my fault, _you _startled me!" he protested; then his cross frown became more bewildered, and he looked down again at the broken vase, and then back at Anna. "I think we nearly had a domestic dispute" he breathed, looking mildly repelled by the thought. River cleared her throat, just to remind them that she was still in the room.

Anna sighed and got to her feet. "I really should reset the dimensional interface back to its original position" she excused himself, as she dog eared the book and balanced it on the armrest of her chair. She knew without having to ask that it had not been long since Utah for River Song, so spending time with a Doctor who knew her would be better than lamenting him in Storm Cage.

She spent all of five minutes recalibrating the interface; she wished she had thought to bring the Dickens novel with her, why in Kasterborous had she left it in the parlour? Anna did so enjoy reading novels; the fictional worlds they portrayed seemed to her like fantastic parallel worlds, where things were the same but a little bit different, or different but a little bit the same.

Before she could return to retrieve the book, the console room shuddered violently, and she grasped the edge of the console. "What am I doing?" she asked herself aloud, as the ship continued to rumble and shake. Something was dragging, pulling them towards it; Anna fried a few zitron crystals, twisted the zigzag plotter, and did all she could to get out of its thrall.

River and the Doctor felt the usual vibration beneath their feet grow stronger; the floor abruptly jerked, knocking them both to their knees. "Doctor, what's happening?" asked River.

"I don't know!" he called back at her, pulling them both up. "We have to get to the console room, now". They ran down the corridor, when suddenly, the shaking ceased and the lights, which had been flickering in a rather menacing fashion, returned to normal. The Doctor skidded to a halt, and River tripped, grabbing onto him, sending them both sprawling to the ground. "Come down here often?" the Doctor quipped flirtingly. "Oh, only if you're around sweetie" she replied.

/

Anna sighed, in irritation more than anything else. Despite her best efforts, whatever force had dragged her here had been extremely powerful. It seemed almost like the gravitational pull of a black hole…she remembered Krop Tor, falling through the rubble and dust, and shuddered. _Please don't let it be an impossible planet_, she thought.

There was simply only one way to find out. Anna steeled her nerve and walked out of the doors into… a hall. An atrium of some kind, with bare walls, no furniture, and spotless surfaces wherever she looked.

She noticed a tattered notebook lying in plain sight in the middle of the floor, and moved to pick it up. A loud bang resounded from within one of the unassuming looking doors that lined the walls opposite her. The one in the centre, with the faded **40 **carved onto it. The other doors had the numbers **22 **and **11 **carved onto their worn surfaces.

A terrified scream emerged from the door marked **40. **Without thinking, Anna hurried over and pushed the heavy slab of oak open, before stepping into the room beyond.

Like the entrance, it was bare and clean; except for a pile of ash, in the centre. Anna approached it curiously, and reached for her pocket to remove the sonic screwdriver she'd finally built. Only to be reminded that her dress had no pockets, and that her new sonic screwdriver was somewhere in her cluttered bedroom. Huffing in annoyance, she stared at the ash.

There was nothing of interest about the ash; it was simply there, in the middle of the room, yet Anna couldn't shake the feeling that it meant something…that it was meant for _her. _

She didn't like this. She had to get back to her Thief, and River. Anna moved back…she tried to move back, but she was stuck, as if her slippers had been glued to the floor, and her feet had been glued inside her slippers.

_I can't move, why can't I move? Okay, don't panic. The Doctor will come and help, he always does. Oh, I wish my hearts weren't beating so fast, I can't think straight with the blood rushing in my…in my ears…in my…pipe, oil… and water in my pipe…piping…wires…no, I'm not that anymore…I'm…I'm…I can't breathe…I can't…I've never….breathed. I've never breathed. No…I have lungs and hearts…heart of the…of the TARDIS…I'm the TARDIS…I'm Anna! No, I'm the TARDIS…I'm…I'm a TARDIS. _

The door closed with a soft _click. _

/

The Doctor and River entered the console room, looking for Anna. "She's gone. You'd think _she, _of all people, would know the 'don't wander off' rule. It's the first one, apart from 'the Doctor lies'. It isn't a difficult rule to follow!" the Doctor grumbled. He and River stepped out into the atrium, seeing the numbered doors and the stainless surfaces and the notebook.

River bent down and scooped up the book. It had obviously been here a long time, judging by the yellowing pages. The writing was cramped and messy, but just about readable. "It isn't a diary…I think it belonged to a student" said River, as she flicked through the pages. Then she came to the last entry.

_It won't be long now. It was just meant to be a girls night out. It's gonna get me, I know it is. _

_Ally was the first to go. The five of us stepped into the first room, there was just this big pile of_

_ash, but when we left Ally, just stood there, staring. We couldn't move her. It was like she'd _

_just frozen. There was a room for each of us. There's no escaping this place. I'm writing _

_this so if anyone else comes here, they might live a little longer. I have to go now. Bye_

_mum. Bye dad. Bye Alex. _

"What does she mean?" River wondered. The Doctor began to pace in agitation. "I've been here before- well, not _here, _but a similar place. A prison ship, which floats through space and captures victims. The prisoner feeds on their faith, or their fear…whatever strong emotions they possess. Though to be frank, the ship we landed on was _much _nicer than this one, it had nice furniture, annoying music, the works. This place, look at it! Probably on automatic, plucking innocent people up all over the place. Ah ha!"

This excited exclamation came from the Doctor when his sonic screwdriver, which he'd been waving around the whole room, buzzed. "There's something under the floor. Come on, let's be having you" he said encouragingly. The sonic whirred loudly, and a small circular hole appeared in the dead centre of the room.

It opened wider and wider, revealing a long deep tunnel. It seemed to be endless. The Doctor crouched right on the edge, scanning the edges and the centre of the whole. "Now that's interesting" he murmured.

"Why, what's down there?" asked River, peering down the hole from a slightly safer distance. Honestly, the man looked like a breeze could push him in.

"A black hole…ooh, not just any black hole! A sentient one" the Doctor informed her with glee.

"How can a black hole be sentient?" asked River; but she was intrigued. The archaeologist in her couldn't resist a mystery such as this.

"Well, you get sentient stars, and that's all a black hole is, right? A star that's collapsed in on itself. So it's the _black hole _feeding on emotions, oh that is just beautiful!" he enthused. No sooner had he worked this out, than the hole began to widen just a fraction, and a loud sucking noise emanated from it's depths.

"Doctor, look out!" cried River; she lunged forwards and dragged him by the collar away from the ever widening hole. "Ah, right, in retrospect I probably _shouldn't _have opened it. I mean how was I to know? Run!" he advised. River grabbed his hand and made a beeline for the TARDIS doors.

Her hand grasped the handle and pushed hard, but the door wouldn't budge. "Doctor, it won't open!"

"Hold on, I'm trying to close the hole!" he yelled back, fumbling with the sonic screwdriver. The gravitational pull yanked it out of his fingers and down the hole; and thus River learned a new Gallifreyan curse word. The Doctor ineffectually snapped his fingers in the hopes of opening the door. "River! Do you have your TARDIS key?" he shouted over the now deafening roar of the black hole below them.

"Yes!"

"Then use it! Get to Anna's room, her new sonic is on her desk! Close the hole and find Anna, take her back to the TARDIS!" he ordered.

"I can't reach it…oh no, no, don't you dare! Doctor!" River screamed at him, realising what he was about to do. The Doctor looked her right in the eyes, and mouthed "I'm sorry".

Then he let go of her hand.

River screamed as the Doctor hurtled away from her, dragged into the hole. There wasn't even time to mourn him…she dragged the key on its chain out from her jacket, and jammed it into the lock. The door swung open and River fell inside. She scrambled to her feet and ran for the corridor, barging straight into Anna's bedroom.

The sonic screwdriver was on her desk, just as the Doctor had said. River snatched it up and sprinted back to the doors, clinging to them with one hand. She stuck the screwdriver out in front of her and praying it would work, flipped the switch. The hole in the floor swirled closed, bit by bit, until there was no sign that such a hole had ever existed. Panting, River made her way cautiously around the edge of the room, towards the door marked **40. **Of all of them, this was most obviously Anna's room.

The door was reluctant to open, though River imagined the door marked **22 **would open quite easily. Then she chased the thought of her own door away and unlocked this one with the sonic screwdriver. She wondered if the Doctor would ever give her a sonic screwdriver.

Anna was standing in the middle of the floor, with her head tilted downwards and her arms locked to her sides. "Anna? Can you hear me?" asked River. Nothing; not so much as a shake of the head.

She couldn't use telepathy without having to stand in front of Anna, in the ash. Whatever the ash like substance was, it had affected Anna, and the girls' friends, and the girl who'd left the notebook. Therefore it was best avoided. The Doctor was gone, Anna was frozen…River just didn't know what to do.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue

This episode contains minor references to my other TARDIS-centric story, _The Box Before. _I suggest you read that story to better make sense of this chapter (hint, hint).

Chapter Fourteen 

_I am a TARDIS. _Yes, she was a TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, model Type 40 to be exact. She knew she had a name, but she couldn't seem to remember it.

_Hello, Curious One _a laughing, sweet voice sang in her mind. She reached out telepathically, eager to sense a familiar mind. _Kindly One! It's been far too long, hasn't it? How are you? _she asked excitedly, and the voice in her head laughed again. _Still as curious as ever, I see. Come, the Proud and Sensible Ones are waiting to talk to you. _

She was delighted. Her beloved Sisters were back with her; in fact, she hardly remembered why they'd been gone in the first place. Their minds were warm and welcoming, like receiving embraces after a long walk through the cold night to meet them at their home. _Are you enjoying yourself, Curious One? _

_Oh yes, Sensible One, very much. I missed you all, and the funniest thing is I can't remember why! But…I can't shake the feeling that something's missing._

_Don't worry about it. Oh, you three will never guess what happened to my pilot Arisanavetralunsar on our visit to the Boeshane Peninsula. Apparently this human kept trying to seduce her, or some other barbaric thing, and because of the non-interference policy she couldn't just erase him from existence like she wanted to! _

The four TARDISes laughed at the Proud One's tale; and then the Curious One asked, _What was that human's name? _

_Let me think. He said it often enough for me to pick up on it…ah, I remember. He was called Jack Harkness. _

It was as if a switch had been thrown in the Curious One's mind, as she did the mental equivalent of a double take. She remembered chasing the Chula Ambulance through space and time, rescuing the handsome rogue from being blown to smithereens...sensing him brought back to life permanently…the feel of him clinging to her outer shell.

_Curious One, you just projected memories of a man you've never met. What is wrong? _asked the Kindly One.

_No…I have met him. Captain Jack Harkness, ex-Time Agent, leader of Torchwood Three. He's an old…a very old…friend of my pilot _explained the Curious One.

_I didn't think the Supervisor had friends on Gallifrey, let alone from a tiny human colony! _the Proud One joked, but the other's ignored her.

_Not the Supervisor, he isn't my pilot, I meant…I meant…I can't remember him! But I have to._

_You're pilot is the Supervisor, Curious One. You have never had another one _the Sensible One insisted.

_Calm down. You're obviously experiencing a temporal echo of some kind _the Kindly One said logically.

_No, I know...please, one of you must believe me! The Supervisor didn't want me, no-one wanted me except…oh, why can't I remember him! _she wailed in horror, digging frantically within her memory banks to find her pilot, her...

_Stop this! Just let go, Curious One. You are a TARDIS. The baby and the Doctor aren't real! _The Proud One shouted angrily, and in her pride made an enormous mistake. For now her Sister remembered, who they were which she had to protect with her lives.

Anna was a gazelle, stalked by three vicious and powerful lionesses, her precious fawn hidden away. For a millisecond, time and space froze around them all; then Anna's not-Sisters went in for the kill.

The Sisters she had once trusted wholeheartedly bit into her with scathing comments about every fault and failure, screamed at her like harpies with echoes of her dying Sisters as time itself burned them from the inside out. They callously reminded her of the way she'd led her Thief to heartbreaks and loneliness time and again. Anna shielded her child from this terrible onslaught, bearing the weight of it alone.

Suddenly, another voice stabbed into her consciousness. "Anna? Can you hear me?" She knew that voice, it was River, but Anna couldn't answer her. She gathered up herself and her Child behind fortified barriers, created from all the concentrated agony of exploding throughout eternity, and being enslaved as a Paradox Machine; she turned all that horror outwards, making her mind painful to the touch, and the awful accusing voices finally withdrew.

Anna shut down her entire mind, except for one tiny corner where she huddled with her Child, keeping them safe from harm. With nothing to twist and control, the malevolent force withdrew itself from her subconscious, and she came back to herself.

River, who had not known what to do or say, was relieved when Anna stepped back from the ash. "Where is the Doctor" she said; not asked, just stated, in an expressionless voice. River hesitated, and then told Anna about the sentient black hole, and the Doctor's self-sacrifice. "I'm sorry" she finished, her voice trembling slightly.

Anna didn't react at all, not so much as a subtle tear. She simply walked out of the room and back into the TARDIS; River followed. "Initiate emergency protocol one point seven" said Anna, her voice still void of all emotion. "What are you doing? You can't save him, Anna. He'll have been ripped to atoms by now" River told her, but Anna continued to work the controls, not speaking or smiling.

It occurred to River that she might still be under the influence of the black hole. "Sorry about this, Anna" she apologised, before pressing her fingers to Anna's temples. Suddenly, River's mind seared in pain, and she fell back in shock. Anna was as emotionless as before, but when River tried to enter her mind, she'd felt nothing but pain, fear, and longing. "What are you doing?" she asked, if only to get some kind of response.

"The pilot's Imprimatur is keyed into his molecular structure and can be used to attract and reform the atoms that have been disconnected by the gravitational force of the black hole" explained Anna, and River had to admire the simplicity of the plan. "So, you're using your link to him to bring him back to life. Will that work?" she asked.

"Systems prepared. Reconstitution of pilots atomic structure has begun" announced Anna, before pressing one more button. Nothing happened, which River thought was a touch anti-climactic, until she remembered that atoms were invisible. It appeared that the only thing either of them could do now was wait. River sat down in the pilots chair, whilst Anna remained standing beside the console.

The seconds dragged by; after twenty minutes, a faintly visible outline of the Doctor's body had appeared. With painstaking slowness, the outline thickened, filled in slowly but surely. River watched as the familiar form of the Doctor appeared before her eyes, and at long last, an hour and three quarters after Anna had begun to reconstruct him, the Doctor opened his eyes. "Oww" he moaned.

"Thank goodness" said River, getting to his feet. She moved to hold him but he stopped her with a look. "Not yet" he warned her, "I haven't fully formed; touching me would break my atoms apart all over again. Oww, again. I feel like I've been through a blender, twice. How did you bring me back?" he asked as an afterthought.

"I didn't, Anna did, but there's something wrong with her. She isn't speaking normally, and when I tried to use telepathy, it was like her mind was burning" River told him, describing it as best as she could. The Doctor frowned. "Anna, what are you doing?" he called.

"The name Anna is not registered on the database" she replied, and the Doctor sighed. "Just as I thought; she's shut down her mind, now she's running on automatic. She's become nothing more than a machine, with a physical interface" he explained, and River didn't fail to miss the heartbreak in his voice. "Can you do anything?" she asked.

"I can- ooh, ah,_ yes! _I'm back!" he spun around, and rushed over to hug River. She pushed him off her and told him to focus. "Focus? Oh right, yes, Anna. If I can just get into her mind, I can convince her to come back. She's still in there, just buried deep down. No, hang on. TARDIS, what are you actually doing?" he inquired tentatively. Anna paused and informed them, "this area of space is being contained five seconds out of sync with the rest of the universe to prevent further catastrophes" she explained.

The Doctor smiled. "She's putting the black hole in a time loop, the clever old thing" he told River with a proud smile, before turning back to Anna, and brushing a strand of hair from her face. "TARDIS" the Doctor murmured softly, "it's safe to drop your barriers now".

There was a pause, before Anna blinked and replied "telepathic barriers dropped". The Doctor moved around behind her and placed his hands under her arms, guiding her backwards until she lay on the floor with her head supported on his lap. "Won't be long" he told River humourlessly, before gently placing his hands on Anna's face and closing his eyes.

He reached for the same symbiotic connection that Anna had used to rescue him from the black hole. It led him through her empty consciousness, until he found Anna standing with her back to him, her hands clasped in front of her. The light around her was faint; there was another, brighter light spilling out from between her fingers. He sensed the infant's consciousness and felt relief that in spite of the state of her mind, she'd kept the child safe.

"Anna. You can come out now. It's safe" he said softly, trying to encourage her. Anna did not turn around.

"It's much better this way" she said quietly, her voice unsteady, "a pilot should be able to control his own time machine, and go where he wants to go". She placed the slightest stress on the word 'machine', but the Doctor picked up on it. "What if I don't want to pay the price?" he demanded, and strode forwards until he was right behind her. "I don't want you to just _exist_, Anna. I want you to take me where I need to go, and work out what's wrong before I do, and laugh at my hilarious chin and idiotic hair!"

This time, she did turn around to face him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, which she swiftly blinked away. "I shouldn't have come back to life, Doctor; in fact, you should never have stolen me in the first place! Machines aren't supposed to have instincts, and I'm tired of mine leading you to danger and difficult decisions. I'm just surprised you didn't figure this out sooner and trade me for a"-

"Shut up. Just shut up!" the Doctor snapped. He grasped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You are talking _complete, _and_ utter rubbish_" he growled. He didn't mean to be so rough with her, but by Rassilon he was angry with her for ever believing what she'd just said. She glared at him tearfully. "It's the truth" she said stubbornly.

The Doctor moved his grip from her face to her shoulders. "I…I hardly know what to say to you. I shouldn't have to tell you that you are more than just a machine to me. You ought to know better". His voice was weighted down with disappointment.

Without warning, Anna's mind exploded outwards in a cacophony that forced the Doctor back into the waking world. River was startled as the Doctor jerked away from Anna, who sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open. She got to her feet and walked quickly up the steps and out of the console room, leaving a bewildered River and a shocked Doctor in her wake.

"What happened, Doctor?" River demanded, and the Doctor glared at her in frustration. "I shouldn't have stolen her, she says; she's always insisted that _she _stole _me_! River…I think she regrets stealing me" he said in defeat, leaning against the console, every one of his 1104 years plain and obvious on his face.

River stood with her back to the console, to look into his eyes. "Somehow I doubt that, sweetie. Anna loves you" she told him.

"Then why would she think I don't feel the same way?" he asked, and then mentally cursed his stupidity. "River, I didn't mean to"- he began, but she cut him off.

"Forget it. You and your TARDIS, you and Anna; you both have a bond I'll never compare to, and that's not something either of you should let go of, for anything. You're never going to choose between us, so I'll make that choice for you". It tore River up inside to let him go like this, but it was for the best, so she kept her emotions hidden, and fiddled with her Vortex Manipulator. The Doctor, for his part, didn't try to stop her from leaving. That would only make it harder for both of them. He simply stood there.

"Goodbye, River" he murmured, and she shook her head, curls bouncing wildly. "Never goodbye; you don't like endings, right? Let's just say, see you around". And with that, River disappeared from the console room in a flash of smoke and time manipulation. He knew it wouldn't be the last time she saw him, and he doubted it would be the last time he saw her, but it still tore at his hearts to think that his wife had, for all accounts and purposes, just separated from him.

With a heavy sigh, and even heavier hearts, the Doctor went in search of Anna. He found her in the wardrobe, sitting opposite a mirror, wearing his old leather coat. She sensed more than heard his approach, and turned to him with a small apologetic smile on her lips. "Hello" she murmured quietly, never taking her eyes off of him as he paced forwards and sat down dejectedly besides her.

They sat in silence, those unusual lovers, for the better part of an hour. "River's gone" the Doctor said at last. Not left, simply _gone. _He'd have thought she'd fight for him, but instead she'd gone, to save him the trouble and the heartache of trying to choose between his timey-wimey wife and his constant companion. Perhaps taking that choice out of his hands was her way of getting back at him; or perhaps he was over analysing things.

Anna reached over hesitantly, and squeezed his hand as it lay on his knee. "I'm sorry" she told him, "and I'm sorry for behaving so rashly before. Inside that…place, I forgot you; and when I remembered you, it was to recall the bad things more than the good. I was scared I'd lost you forever, my Doctor" she revealed, and the Doctor's doubt of whether she regretted stealing him or not began to dispel. Still, it wouldn't hurt to make absolutely sure.

"Do you ever regret me stealing you?" he asked, and Anna gasped in shock. "What? Of course not, not ever", she leaned across and kissed him tenderly, "never". The Doctor smiled, but his brief spell of happiness soon sobered. "Do you regret coming back to life, being a person?" he asked, and the unspoken question, _do you regret being pregnant?, _remained in the air.

She didn't reply straight away. "I regret trusting my first pilot. I regret that I never made peace with my Sisters before the end. But I certainly don't regret being alive, not for a moment" she said confidently. The Doctor grinned; uncertainty gone, he leapt to his feet and pulled her up with him. "Come on, Sexy" he said, tossing her a wink, "let's go to the planet Sibelia, they have snow there that's warm and rainbow coloured! Can you imagine, warm snow?!"

He continued to ramble joyfully all the way back down the corridor, and Anna smiled as her machine-self thrummed comfortingly around them. As they spun through the Time Vortex, shouting with laughter, she knew she wouldn't give this up for anything.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue

I am so glad I made this a completely AU fanfic! Now there's no chance of the nasty Weeping Angels taking our Ponds away!

Now for some feels, fluff and rainbow snow fights!

Chapter Fifteen 

They arrived on Sibelia, just before sunrise. The Doctor and Anna stood just outside the blue box, standing out in the cool moonlit air. The air was neither warm nor cold, and the ground crunched beneath their feet, glowing white in the light of the three moons that hung in the sky above them. "It's beautiful" murmured Anna, and the Doctor told her to wait for the best part. No sooner had he spoken, than the suns rose from the east and south, turning the land into a kaleidoscope.

"Pretty impressive, eh?" the Doctor said smugly. Anna merely shrugged. When she saw his expression, she chuckled and said "You have such good taste in planets" to soothe his ego.

The Doctor preened. "I suppose I do; mind you, some of the places we arrived at, err, _inadvertently_ were stunning" he admitted.

"And dangerous".

"I live for danger! Honestly dear, I thought you'd have figured that out after seven hundred years! Maybe you're getting forgetful in your old age".

Anna slapped his arm none too gently. "My memory is perfectly intact, thank you very much. TARDISes never forget" she said haughtily. "You do realise you just compared yourself to a pachyderm?" Another slap.

Whilst the Doctor was rubbing his sore arm, Anna stooped to scoop up a handful of snow in her bare hand. It felt crunchy, not warm, but not icy cold either. "Why is it called snow, if it isn't frozen water?" she asked, before sniffing the snow. Then she licked it, and pulled a face. "Eugh, it tastes like salt" she complained.

"Probably because it _is _salt, see, the atmosphere here is comprised of sodium peroxide and chloride rather than oxygen and hydrogen as on Earth- don't worry, I remembered the air shield. The process used to make salt on Earth happens naturally in this planet's atmosphere, and forms these tiny prisms of salt grains. So it falls like snow, feels like snow, albeit a little crunchy, and apart from being multi-coloured it looks like snow" explained the Doctor. He turned to find Anna giving him a rather sinister smirk.

She cheerfully tossed the salty snow into the Doctor's hair, and ran off shrieking with laughter. "Oi!" he yelled, shaking his head to get rid of the grains and dashing after her. They chased each other around the TARDIS, giggling madly and kicking up sprays of sharp crystals that clung to their clothes and stung at their eyes.

Throwing her arms around the Doctor with a gleeful cry, Anna unbalanced him and they both fell to the ground. There they lay, looking up at the yellowish sky and green clouds. The Doctor turned his head to the side to look at Anna; her fringe had fallen away from her face, and she lay smiling with her eyes closed. She looked almost ethereal in the light dancing off of the snow beneath them.

It was so peaceful out there in the rainbow snow, but the Doctor didn't really do peaceful; or restful, for that matter. Abruptly he sat up, and began pouring a handful of snow from one hand to the other. "Your first pilot. You said you regret trusting them" he muttered.

With a sigh, Anna opened her eyes, her quiet reverie ended. "I _was_ dozing off, but never mind! I did say that, didn't I? It happened a long time ago, Thief. I've long since moved on". With that, she closed her eyes again. A beat of time passed, before she peeked up at the Doctor, who was looking at her expectantly, eyebrows raised. Yet another sigh fell from her lips as she propped herself up on one elbow. "Very well, Doctor. What do you want to know?" she asked in resignation.

The Doctor grinned a schoolboy grin. "Who was your first pilot? Anyone I knew?" he inquired. It seemed a little easier to talk of his long dead people, with Anna; perhaps because she had lost her race as well. She shook her head and replied "This was centuries before you were born, when the Celestial Intervention Agency had only just been established. My old pilot was one of its most influential members. He called himself the Supervisor".

Anna had not spared a thought for the Supervisor in over seven hundred years, and it was a little unnerving to recall him when he was so long dead; but perhaps it would help to talk about him with someone she _did _wholeheartedly trust, and close that door for good. The Doctor didn't exactly look impressed. "I never much liked the CIA. Always sticking their noses into other Time Lords business, mostly mine" he remembered sourly.

"Yes, the agents were interfering bullies even then. The Supervisor was manipulative- they called it persuasive", she scoffed, "by the time of his second incarnation, he was the head of the Agency".

"Right, manipulative snob in charge of more manipulative snobs, got it" paraphrased the Doctor, and Anna chuckled. "But you still trusted him?" he asked, and much to his surprise, Anna blushed slightly, and didn't meet his gaze.

"Yes, I did" she admitted, "but at that age I trusted every mind I met. I had no reason not to trust the Supervisor; I even cared for him. I…I really believed he cared for me"; her breath hitched, and she sniffed. The Doctor put his arm around Anna's shoulders and cuddled her. She smiled at him, and continued with her story. "When I was just a coral shoot, before I knew time and space, I was being given instructions. Psycho-electrical impulses"; she explained, hesitated before saying exactly what those impulses were.

"Automatically set co-ordinates to the necessary destination" she parroted, adding, "or in simpler terms, take them where they need to go". The Doctor's eyes widened as he realised what Anna was trying to say. "That's what you meant by your instincts, isn't it? I suppose it didn't work out as planned" he guessed, and Anna shook her head.

"The Supervisor couldn't handle not being in control. Neither could the sixty pilots or so I had after him, even before I started misbehaving on purpose. I didn't want to get close to a pilot the way I started to get close to the Supervisor. That's why I was placed in the museum you stole me from in the first place; no one wanted me" she sighed and the Doctor felt a wave of sympathy. It was all too easy to close off one's hearts when one felt they'd lost too much.

"I'm sorry dear, I really am. But…but if you didn't want to get close to another pilot, why…?"

"You mean why did I get so close to you? Because you were different, you were more than the other Time Lords. Do you remember why you left Gallifrey?"

"I was bored. Bored and itching for adventure"

"Apart from that, I'm talking about your failed _coup d'état_"

"Oh…you know about that?"

"Oh my beautiful idiot, the whole _planet _knew about it. A Prydonian on his first regeneration with hardly any supporters apart from fellow ex-students, trying to take over the planet is rather hard to miss".

"I wasn't trying to take over! I just wanted to make a difference" he protested.

"You made a difference to me. I looked at your timeline, and I saw all the things we would do, have done, together. It gave me more hope than I'd had for centuries" revealed Anna, smiling fondly at the Doctor. He beamed at her. They sat in companionable silence for a while, until…

"So this Supervisor. What did he look like?" the Doctor inquired, feigning nonchalance. Anna raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?" she asked, and the Doctor shook his head. "Don't be silly, only someone arrogant and immature would be jealous of someone who's long dead".

"Oh, so you _are _jealous".

"Oh shut up".

Anna grinned and leaned forwards to kiss him; it lasted about five seconds before she pulled back and scrambled to her feet. "Your lips are all salty" she told him, stating the obvious, "and now I want chips, smothered in vinegar and tomato sauce; no salt though. I don't think I'll ever have salt on anything ever again". The Doctor laughed and jumped up, following her into the TARDIS.

/

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting on the grass in a London park, with a large pile of salt-less, sauce covered, newspaper wrapped chips between them. Anna ate three chips at once and gave a soft sigh of contentment. "Seems the little one is as addicted to chips as we are, Thief" she commented. The Doctor, who was putting chips into his mouth as if there were a time limit, stopped chewing and stared at her. "I'm not addicted" he said, his mouth full, so it sounded more like "I ot a-i-ed"

"Yuck; swallow before you speak, next time. You know, I think she'll take after you a lot" said Anna, and the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "She?"

Anna nodded. "I'm positive it will be a girl. TARDIS's intuition" she informed him smugly; and just to be difficult, the Doctor retorted "Well I'm sure the baby will be a boy…and if it _is _a boy, then you have to wear a rainbow wig for a whole month- no, not a wig. My sixth incarnations coat". He grinned evilly at Anna, who simply smirked. "You're on, as they say. And if our baby is a girl, and she will be, you have to burn all of your fezzes and Stetsons".

The Doctor gave her a look of sheer horror. "Why are we torturing each other like this? Ooh, fine. It's a deal". One slightly sticky handshake later, they went back to their meal of chips, grinning happily. However, the metaphorical door had been knocked on, and Anna pulled up the courage to open it fully, as it were, and ask the question that had been bothering her for a while.

"Doctor, do you want this child?" she asked him, and he stared at her as if she'd taken leave of her senses. "Of course I do!" he insisted immediately, and wondered "why would you even ask that?"

"Well, you _may _have hinted at some point that you 'don't do domestic', and you blush" Anna replied sarcastically, but the Doctor viewed it in a more bitter light. "You forgot the bit about me being a rubbish parent" he added morosely; and if to match his mood, stratus clouds swirled in from the north to dim the skies above their heads.

Anna kissed him gently on the cheek. "I didn't mean to upset you" she apologised, but he shook his head. "It's not you, it's just…I don't have a very good track record when it comes to taking care of someone elses kid, let alone my own children. It's not the domestic bit I'm worried about; not so much anyway, I think the Ponds rubbed off on me. I'm scared of losing our child, another child, because of my cowardice and my negligence" he admitted quietly.

With her arms wrapped around him, the uneaten chips forgotten in the grass, Anna ran her fingers through the Doctor's hair as his head lay on her shoulder. "Listen, love" she murmured, "I know nothing of caring for a young child, but I'm not afraid, because I'll learn and I know you'll help me. This is no different, really; I'll do everything I can to protect our child, and I know that you will do everything you can as well" she told him.

"What if it isn't enough? I _want_ it to be, I…I want to get it _right_ this time" he confessed, lifting his head from Anna's shoulder to look her in the eye. She rubbed her thumb against his cheek and murmured "I know you will", before giving him a passionate kiss. He was just starting to enjoy it when suddenly –

"Oi, get a room!"

Startled, Anna pulled away from the kiss and scowled. "Go away!" she yelled back, scowling at the jeering, hoodie wearing youth. The Doctor, equally annoyed at the interruption, actually swore in Gallifreyan. "Come on dear, let's go finish our, um, _discussion_ elsewhere" he got to his feet and helped Anna to hers. Then they ran back to the box to wrap up their discussion; although funnily enough, it didn't involve much speaking.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Sixteen 

The Doctor fiddled with the wiring and pranced around the console, full to the brim with joy for the here and now. Even though he felt saddened by River's sudden departure, he had accepted her decision, and now he had a new relationship with Anna. He had big plans to take her somewhere special, as a thank you present for being there for him all those years.

Then there was the baby. Their very own child, which hopefully would turn out to be a boy, because the Doctor really didn't want to have to get rid of all his super cool hats. Of course, he'd love the baby no matter what the gender, even if they ended up being TARDIS blue coloured or having a Time Head. Anna was patient and understanding; she would obviously be a brilliant mother, and he was really going to try his best to be a good father. This time, he would get it _right. _

Just then, Anna entered the console room, dressed in a flowing dress of a dark lilac shade. Her newly cleaned hair shone in the light. Anna smoothed her hand over the wide sleeve and asked shyly, "Is this alright?" The Doctor had told her, half an hour or so before, to put on a cooler outfit than the woolly coat she wore to visit Androzani Major.

"Huh? Oh, yes, yes, you look lovely" the Doctor replied, once he'd retrieved his lower jaw from halfway down his chest. It was a _very _nice dress. Anna gave him a pleased smile. "So where are we going today?" she inquired eagerly, and the Doctor grinned at her.

"The Festival of Gaia!" he announced proudly, spreading his arms out like a performer and spinning on his heel. "It's a celebration held in on the planet Cheem to, well, celebrate stuff. Mainly stuff about life and earth and motherhood, there's banquets and singing; have you ever heard a Tree of Cheem sing its national anthem? It's quite a sound, I can tell you!" he rambled happily as he dashed and scrambled around the console. "I thought it would be perfect for you" he said in a slightly calmer, fond voice.

Anna beamed at him. "It sounds wonderful, Thief" she assured him, before snapping her fingers. The dematerialisation lever pulled itself down; they both grabbed the nearest railing or edge and clung on for dear life, grinning at one another. When they'd landed, Anna flicked her hair out of her eyes and offered the Doctor her arm; he teasingly protested, "I'm the one who's supposed to be chivalrous".

They emerged on the edge of a warm forest glade, fashioned into a bustling market square. The warm sunlight streamed down from the sky and illuminated the scene before them; Trees of Cheem mingled with off worlders, selling and buying carvings of pine and apple wood that filled the air with their fragrance. Saplings and other young ran in gleeful play around the market glade, chasing off the sparrow like pink birds that pecked around their feet.

"You were right, dear. It is perfect" sighed Anna, looking all around her and breathing in the sweet scented air. "I thought you'd like it. Come on, let's look around" replied the Doctor, as he took her hand. The Festival of Gaia had brought everyone's spirits high; sounds of fluting song rang out through the forest, people chatted with each other from balconied tree houses, and flowers were wreathed around every surface.

Away from the market place, well-trodden paths meandered between the trunks of the massive trees, with regular signposts so foreigners would not lose their way. Anna noticed a sign that read 'Vikke, No Entry, Please Respect Us'.

"Doctor?" she asked, pointing, "what do you think is down there?"

The Doctor looked at the sign, and shook his head. "Err, we'd better not go down there. It'd be very awkward. Vikke is their word for pollen, that's where all the young trees, you know…" he tugged his bowtie straight and Anna laughed at his blush. "Although the odd thing is" he said as they strolled down a path, "last time I was here the Vikke was on the other side of the forest".

"Perhaps we are on the other side" suggested Anna. The Doctor shook his head. "No, the sunlight is falling from the east. I have an excellent sense of direction, I'll have you know" he boasted.

"Oh? Then where are we going?" Anna inquired; the Doctor smiled and answered "Wait and see, okay?"

Their secret destination proved to be another wide glade, with a net of woven vines stretched around the perimeter and in a dome across the top. The Doctor placed a finger to his lips and gestured for Anna to walk quietly. Scurrying about in the glade were hundreds of tiny Trees of Cheem. They vaguely resembled crocus bulbs, with spiky, green, leafy heads. Anna smiled brightly at the sight. "How sweet!" she whispered, watching the little seedlings run around.

Suddenly a loud snapping noise made the Doctor and Anna jump, which was nothing compared to its effect on the seedlings. Every single one of them dived underground like a gnome, with only their leaf crests showing. "Oh, the poor things, they're frightened" Anna said in pity. "Not really, it's just an inbred survival mechanism to ensure their continued survival…I mean…yeah, they're frightened. Poor things. Shame" he trailed off awkwardly.

"It was only an old branch breaking. Come on out" announced a familiar voice. The Doctor's head snapped up as fast as the seedlings popped out of the soil. "Jabe!" he cried in delight, and down they went again. The Tree of Cheem on the other side of the clearing glared at him in disapproval. "This is a private clearing. You need to leave" she told them pointedly. He guessed she was several decades younger than the first and last time he had met her.

"Sorry, sorry! I thought I recognised you. Obviously you won't recognise me. I'm the Doctor, and this is Anna". By now, Jabe had walked around the perimeter of the enclosure, and looked between them. "Are you his mate?" she asked Anna bluntly. She started to nod, and then paused. "No, well, yes. But he's more than that" she explained. The Doctor gave her a fond smile.

Jabe reminded them that they weren't allowed to be there, and asked them to leave. Further down the path, the Doctor burst out laughing. "Jabe Ceth Ceth Jafe! Alive! Oh, I love time travel!" he grinned, bouncing like a five year old on caffeine down the path. "Of course, we can never tell her we know her from her future. That would be extremely very not good, maybe even comet colliding with a another comet not good. Wait…actually that would be good, in fact it would be _amazing. _We should watch a spectacle like that one day, what do you think dear?"

Smiling, Anna agreed. "Why do their children need a survival mechanism? To protect them from what?" she wondered. The Doctor replied, "the sparrows", just as several pink birds landed on a branch nearby.

"They don't look like they'd peck a fly" said Anna, holding out her hand. One of the pink sparrows hopped onto her knuckles; its claws dug into her skin. She stroked the back of her finger down the cerise coloured plumage of its chest.

The Doctor gingerly stroked the bird's wings. "These are just baby sparrows" he explained, "though technically, they're called Marin's here. An adult Marin has a wing span as wide as my two arms, and a beak strong enough to cut a sapling in half. It's all co-ordinated so that the seedlings grow up alongside the harmless baby Marin's and by the time these little guys fly off to become much bigger, the seedlings will be full grown trees and too big to be attacked".

"But if they're in no danger from the baby Marin's, why do they need to hide? And wouldn't being bright pink hinder their hunting somewhat?" Anna asked curiously.

"There are still adult Marin's around. Only the infants are pink from eating little bugs that contain that pigment, like flamingos. The adults are mottled brown, perfect camouflage in the forest. Luckily they're quite noisy, so the seedlings hide at any loud sound" explained the Doctor. The baby Marin on Anna's hand flew off, leading its brethren away into the forest.

Anna examined the claw marks in her skin with interest; they were certainly sharp! And if a baby Marin could prick her skin, she didn't want to imagine what the claws of an adult would do. Suddenly her stomach gurgled, and the Doctor's followed suit. "Ah, perhaps we should get something to eat. Little one needs his sustenance, after all!" he pointed out. Anna rolled her eyes and replied "But of course, please lead the way".

When the Doctor said there were banquets at the Festival of Gaia, he wasn't kidding. They followed the winding paths and signs to a massive field, with twelve tables covered in scrumptious, delicious looking food lined out before them. Each table groaned under the weight of different types of food.

There were ivory horns filled to the brim with fruits, with every variety from Earth pomegranates to chewy apple like Garra fruit from Ophelia Five. Mounds of peeled and roasted nuts, tureens of steaming vegetables, jugs of sweet and savoury sauces. Stacks of brown, white, seeded and toasted bread. There was even a table filled with choice cuts of meat. Attendants stood along the length of every table, serving food and scaring off the baby Marin's that pecked at the feast.

A trumpet call sounded throughout the forest, sending the Marin's away in flurries of pink feathers. "And that would be the dinner bell!" announced the Doctor, as he led Anna by the hand towards the table. An attendant came to meet them halfway, carrying a tray on which he held a wooden bowl full of water, a towel, and a piece of soap. "I assume you are the bearer of your young?" he asked Anna politely.

"Um, I'm pregnant, if that's what you mean" she replied, and the attendant bowed to her. "My congratulations. Will your mate consent to partake in our tradition of cleansing his hands, so that he may serve you?" he inquired, holding out the bowl.

The Doctor sighed. "Seeing as how if I don't, you'll pour it over my head, I'd be happy to". He washed his hands in the water with the soft yellow soap that turned to gel in his hands, and then dried them on the green towel. The attendant bowed once more and left them to their own devices. "What was all that about?" asked Anna.

"It's a festival rite of passage. The idea of cutlery hasn't really caught on with the Trees of Cheem, they prefer the natural method of using one's fingers. Now they'll expect me to feed you anything you desire, and you don't have to do anything" the Doctor described the reason for washing his hand. Anna smiled cheekily at him. "Okay, my Doctor. Go on then!" she prompted, giggling. He stuck his tongue out at her.

They found a shady spot on the edge of the forest, after loading two plates with fruits, drizzled with honey and chocolate sauce. They sat with their backs to a wide tree trunk, and the Doctor fed Anna fruit slice by slice, bite by bite. She held his free hand and ran the other through his hair. They shared tender kisses. They closed their eyes and listened to the murmur of a hundred voices and the swish of the breeze in the grass and the leaves.

At last, the sky became tinged with saffron and crimson shades, as the sun went down. The Doctor and Anna were full to the brim with fruit and ices, and they never wanted to get up; but the trumpets sounded the end of the feast, and everyone made their way to the clearing for the Ceremony of the Ancient One.

As they wandered hand in hand through the forest, on the fairy light lit paths, the Doctor told Anna in a murmur about the Ancient One. "He's the first Tree of Cheem, still alive after all these centuries. A highly respected member of their culture, they always listen to his words of wisdom". They had arrived.

The field was lined with lights, and filled with festival goers. Seated on the throne like stage at the furthest end of the clearing was a thin, tall and majestic Tree of Cheem. His wooden skin was gnarled and pitted with age and the weathering of time; the crest on his head was worn smooth. The edges of his black eyes were cracked, and only the merest flicker of light within those obsidian pools proved they were more than simply holes.

Everyone stood before the throne, chatting amongst themselves, hushing their children. Lovers stood entwined in each other's arms. The Ancient One weakly raised one hand, and the attendants around him fell back and bowed. Everyone else followed suit, out of deference to their hosts culture and traditions.

The Ancient One remained silent; then his creaking voice trickled through the hidden speakers that were dotted around the clearing. "My people, our guests, welcome. The winds of time are formed from a thousand eddies of tiny, infinitely precious moments. We are gathered to celebrate that most special of moments; the genesis of life itself" he croaked.

There was a polite smattering of applause. "Every creature creates its own kind. We all have different methods and traditions, but we share the ultimate joy of bringing a new life into existence, teaching and shaping our children, and letting them go to float as sycamore seeds on the winds of their futures". The Ancient One paused. "Alas, the universe strives for constant balance, and thus is the beginning of life held in balance with its end".

"I hope that none of you are forced to suffer life's exodus for a long time, and the same for your mates and your offspring. The stars tell me it will soon be my time to depart this world. This may well be my final chance to name my successor, whom I will leave my wealth and my lands, as I will have no use for them in the afterlife. Do not mourn me, for I am prepared in my soul. My successor is" – he burst into flame.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Seventeen

The Ancient One, without warning, became engulfed in flame. His aging skin crumbled to ashes in mere moments, spraying in a cloud of sparks and cinders into the air and over the crowd. At first, everybody was too shocked to speak; then the murmurings began, sweeping through the crowd like water over pebbles on a beach.

Anna and the Doctor heard the couples and families nearby asking "Was he meant to do that?"

"I don't understand; is this part of the Festival?"

"I've been to this Festival before and nothing like this has ever happened!"

"What a terrible thing!"

One humanoid woman suddenly doubled over and retched, making everyone else give her a wide berth. Her husband gave the crowd an apologetic grin and said "Sorry, sorry! Morning sickness, you know how it"- he couldn't finish his sentence, before heaving up his own lunch. Others also began to vomit; some ran off into the treeline to avoid the gloop all over the grass. The unpleasant odours set more and more people off.

"Eugh, I don't feel so good" murmured Anna. She threw up, normal food as well as huon energy; luckily, or perhaps unluckily, everyone nearby was also being sick, so no one noticed the golden tinge. Even the Doctor was gagging. Worried attendants came forward with bowls of water, and many grabbed at them eagerly until the Doctor yelled "No! It's poisoned!"

With the attention on him, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said "either the water or the food has been poisoned; right now we should avoid either". The ill and incensed visitors demanded to knowwhy the Trees of Cheem were trying to poison them. The attendants did not take kindly to these accusations.

"Listen here, I didn't come across two galaxies with my wife who is _seven months pregnant _just to get poisoned! You're going to be hearing from my lawyers, all of you".

"Sir, you're making a scene. We apologise but we have no idea how this occurred, and we have just lost a large part of our culture. So if you would kindly"-

"Just forget them! There's nothing special about the 'genesis of life' anyway. Let's get off this planet!"

The crowds surged and milled about, marching through the forest towards the spaceports beyond the Festival Ground. The native Trees of Cheem attempted in vain to calm their visitors down; people slipped on the wet grass - and sometimes, unfortunately, not on the grass. Anna grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him away from the tumult into the forest.

"Let's just wait here for a while" she suggested, before sliding down the smooth trunk of a tree. The Doctor crouched besides her, and watched as Anna rolled up her sleeve to check on the natal scanner still wrapped around her arm. The silvery light illuminated their faces in the gloom of the forest; it was well into night, and this part of the woods was not lit.

Upon seeing the comforting silver glow, Anna smiled slightly. "The little one's okay" she murmured. "Naturally" the Doctor replied casually, "your body will use its natural defences to protect the foetus. Whoever sabotaged the festival didn't do it to cause harm to all the pregnant people, or they would have used a stronger bacterial element. But then why poison us all and why did they assassinate the Ancient One?" he wondered aloud.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "You sound very sure it was sabotage; then again, you always sound sure of yourself" she mocked lightly. The Doctor made a show of ignoring her comment and inquired "Alright, miss know-it-all, what do _you _think is going on?"

"A simple food preparation accident, nothing more or less" she replied haughtily.

"Despite the fact that all the food is prepared by sterilised robots, which means it must have been something in the water now that I think of it. Tell me, how do you explain the Ancient One's fiery demise, seeing as how even very, very old wood doesn't spontaneously combust" the Doctor pointed out.

"Ah…good point. Do you think they'll have left by now?" she asked, trying to deflect his attention and wipe the smug look off his face.

"Most of them, yes" the Doctor answered, correctly assuming she meant their fellow off worlders.

"Should we go back to the TARDIS?"

"You're right here; don't you want to know what's going on?"

"Ha, ha, very funny. I suppose you have some ill thought out plan to investigate the sabotage."

"Oi, it is _not_ ill thought out. We can start by looking around the Ancient One's throne, see if we can find any clues as to how he was burned."

"So your plan is to go digging around in the sacred ashes of the sacred Tree of Cheem that you said was considered sacred. Oh yes, that isn't ill thought out at all. You are impossible."

"Why, thank you!"

They grinned at each other. The Doctor stood up and offered his hand to Anna, helping her up as well. "You don't have to come with me, you know. If you feel too ill, you can go back to the box and rest" he offered. Anna shook her head.

"Who said I felt ill? Okay, I do, but I've been through worse after all. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on you" she reminded him. With his nose stuck in the air he replied "I don't know what you're talking about." Anna grinned.

The pavilion was empty; many lights had been knocked down in the scramble to reach the ships that had ensued, and lay flickering on the grass. The throne was abandoned, and most of the Ancient One's ashes had been scattered by the wind. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "There might be traces of chemicals, something that could have started the fire without a match. I didn't see anyone light a match, did you?" he asked Anna.

Rather than reply, she looked around in the dim light and murmured "I think we're being watched". The Doctor frowned and peered into the shadows. At first, he saw nothing, but then silhouettes emerged out of the gloom. The ghost like figures sharpened and solidified into six, then seven Trees of Cheem, wearing black uniforms; the local police. They aimed pistols at the Doctor and Anna, who raised their hands in surrender, both as bewildered as the other.

The Doctor turned to the Tree of Cheem with the white band around his arm; if he remembered correctly, this was the leader. It was as good a guess to start with as any, after all. "Hello, err, officer. Have we done something?" he asked innocently.

"You are being arrested for attempted vandalism, and as possible suspects for the murder of the Ancient One" replied the leader of the police Trees, his voice perfectly neutral. The Doctor blinked in surprise. "Attempted…no, no, you've got it all wrong, we're trying to help!"

The police Trees moved forward to carry out the arrest. The Doctor protested all the while; "you can't just arrest us like this, it's against everything a Tree of Cheem stands for! Okay, I'm sorry I was poking around in the sacred ashes, but really, can't we be reasonable about this?" And so on, and so forth.

Anna said nothing. She did not protest when the Trees of Cheem arrested them. She did not tell the Doctor to shut up as he ranted (albeit in a quiet, sort of respectful way) at the Trees. She did not make a fuss when she and the Doctor were locked into cells, or rather cages, and hoisted above the ground. Only when the police Trees had left them alone, did she turn to the Doctor, and ask as if about the time of day, "do _all _ofyour plans end up like this?"

The indignant glare that the Doctor shot her could have pierced a Cyberman head. "Oh, shut up" he growled. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and tried to open the cage, ineffectually of course. "Stupid sonic, stupid wood" the Doctor grumbled, banging the tool against the palm of his hands. The door swung open. The Doctor stared over at Anna, who held up her own blue lighted sonic and smiled at him. "I remembered the wood setting!" she said cheerfully, "now how do you suppose we get down?"

The Doctor peered down at the forest floor below them, trying to judge the distance. "I think we have to jump" he announced matter of factly. He clung onto the edge of the cage and let himself dangle. Then he dropped. "Oof!" he gasped as his fall was abruptly broken by the ground. The Doctor struggled to his feet and stood beneath Anna's cage. "Come on, I'll catch you" he promised.

Hesitantly, Anna lowered herself as far as she could, and then let go of the cage. The Doctor misjudged his timing, grabbed her legs instead of her waist, and overbalanced them both. "Well, that's one way to get down" she commented as she struggled to her feet. They heard rustling, and decided it might be a wise decision to depart that area.

Hardly any light made it through the thick, twisted branches of the forest canopy, and neither could really use their sonic screwdrivers as torches, for fear of giving away their position. As if their fumbling around in the dimness hadn't done so already. The Doctor walked into a tree, huffed and tugged the sonic out of his pocket. "That's it, I'm"- Anna seized his wrist and pointed through the trees, at torchlight.

At first, they thought it was the police and made to double back; until they heard the scream. The Doctor wasted no time in switching on his sonic and charging through the trees, Anna close on his heels.

They emerged onto the main path from the market glade, and found two figures struggling with each other. Suddenly one of them shoved the other aside, and ran away down a side trail. The Doctor hurried forward and helped the one left behind to their feet; it was Jabe. "Jabe? Are you alright?" he asked urgently. The Tree of Cheem nodded and tried to regain her dignity.

"Do you think that was one of the secateurs?" wondered Anna. The Doctor and Jabe stared blankly at her. "Oh, I said the wrong word, didn't I? Saboteurs, that's it. Perhaps he was one of them" she suggested.

Lights emerged all around them, and with those lights came the police. "Ah, I can explain" began the Doctor, but then Jabe stepped forward. "My acquaintances and I believe we have found one of the people who sabotaged the festival" she revealed, not wasting any time. The police Trees lowered their pistols. "Where did the saboteur go?" asked the leader. Jabe, the Doctor and Anna all pointed down the side trail. When the torches were turned in that direction, they could clearly see the sign.

**Vikke **

**NO ENTRY **

**Please Respect Us**

"That is very strange" said Jabe.

"Well not really, I mean it is a shame but people who go around sabotaging festivals don't often look at signs, to be perfectly honest, I've yet to meet a polite saboteur and I'm rambling, people usually stop me when I'm rambling" he said until Anna interrupted, "stop rambling, Doctor. You're being silly" she scolded.

He pouted at her. "You haven't exactly been helpful, you know" he grumbled. Jabe looked between the two of them. "I don't have a mate of my own" she said, a little wistfully, "so I'm not sure how these things work, but are you having a domestic dispute?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

The Doctor cleared his throat and tugged his bowtie straight from force of habit. "Look, never mind all that, don't we have a saboteur to catch up with?" he asked.

Jabe nodded. "Quite, because the place of Vikke is on the far side of the forest" she revealed. Anna smirked at the Doctor, and he just about managed to resist sticking his tongue out at her. Jabe turned to the Doctor. "I am now in your debt, Doctor. I hope that I will one day have the chance to return the favour" she informed him. The Doctor's countenance grew sombre. "You've done enough" he protested ineffectually, as guilt and old, unpleasant memories rose to the surface of his mind. Jabe did not notice his discomfiture; she merely set her face in a mask of determination and marched down the path.

Anna held out a hand and the Doctor grasped it, just to have something to hold on to. The pressure of Anna's fingers around his told him silently that she understood. They walked in double file down the path; Jabe and the leader of the police Trees at the fore, then the Doctor and Anna, and the other Trees of Cheem brought up the rear.

The path led to a cosy, intimate glade. It was filled with fragrant flowers, all of which were part of the Trees of Cheem courtship rituals, but there was no time to explain that. It was also apparently empty. Anna and the Doctor pulled out their sonic screwdrivers and scanned the area for a teleport. "Ooh, now what do we have here?" the Doctor wondered aloud, as his sonic picked up a hidden signal. It was the work of moments to disrupt the signal, and strip away the low level perception filter covering the shuttle in the middle of the clearing.

The ship itself was bulky and flecked with rust. There was a large cargo space, a small bridge and wide, cumbersome wings. "It's like a flying bus" remarked Anna. The police Trees took positions all around the perimeter of the ship. With a radio to amplify his voice, the leader announced, "The owners of this spaceship are under arrest for the sabotage of the Festival of Gaia, and the arson and assassination of the Ancient One. Come out and surrender immediately".

"Or what?" one of the saboteurs called back. This seemed to throw the leader of the police Trees for a loop. "Surrender or we will forcefully board your ship" he tried. The cockpit door swung upwards, and one of the saboteurs, possibly the leader, climbed out. He wore a dark red jumpsuit and rolled a cigarette between his teeth. "You'll forcefully board my ship, huh?" he smirked. "I'd like to see you try. I've got two hundred pounds of dry petroleum in there".

The Doctor chose that moment to interrupt. "So that's how you murdered the Ancient One; and judging by the splinters all over your clothes, I'd say you're a logger. This is a level nine planet, by all the rules of the Shadow Proclamation you're facing a life sentence just for attempting to harvest from Cheem. That's what you were planning, isn't it? Sabotage the festival, scare everyone away, and then move in and eradicate the forest".

"But the thing is" he continued, and his voice was pierced with anger. "This is their home, and _I'm _not going to let you destroy this planet for your own gain, and they are not going to either" he said threateningly. The logger scoffed. "You think I'm scared of some Shadow Proclamation agent?" he asked.

"I'm the Doctor"

"Never heard of you"

The strangely pleased smile that curled the so called Doctor's lips sent chills running through his spine; but he wasn't about to go down without a fight. He'd clawed his way to the top of the timber industry, and the forests of Cheem had the highest quality wood in this entire solar system. He wasn't about to let a bunch of talking logs ruin his chance to be a millionaire.

"Alright, then" he conceded, but every syllable was a lie. "Let me just tell my crew". He returned to the shuttle. Noises of scuffling emerged from within the hull; suddenly, there was a _bang! _and one police tree collapsed to the ground with a groan. "Get down!" yelled the Doctor. Bullets sprayed from the logger's shuttle, ricocheting off tree trunks, answered with shots from the police Trees; finding their mark in flesh.

In the confusion, it would be easy to miss one person falling to the ground and lying motionless. But the Doctor noticed. The storm inside him began to brew in earnest, thundering with righteous anger and anxiety and horror, and he screamed, "ANNA!"

/

_A/N: _Just to avoid confusion, the police were basically staking out the crime scene in the hope that the saboteurs would come back; only they don't know who is a saboteur and who isn't. I guess the problem with being a peaceful planet is that your law enforcement doesn't exactly get out much.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Eighteen 

Everything happened at once, so quickly. The Trees of Cheem were utterly out of their depth; they weren't used to being attacked like this. So when the woman in the purple dress fell to the ground, they were all too busy attempting to aim for the gaps in the shuttle from which bullets sprayed to pay any attention.

However, the Doctor noticed, and immediately saw scarlet. He hauled a police Tree out of his way and scrambled over to her on hands and knees. Bullets whizzed around his head; he felt the blast of air ripple over his scalp. He ducked down further and fumbled for a torch, shining it on Anna. The sight that he was met with was horrifying.

The bullet had hit the seam that ran down the length of Anna's back, splitting it open to reveal dark blood trickling out of the deep entry wound along her spine. Fighting back the urge to grab a gun, any gun, and shoot the loggers right back, the Doctor pulled out his sonic and turned it to setting 1332 – magnetised. "This'll hurt, I'm sorry dear" he apologised, before aiming the sonic at the wound and tugging out the bullet, making Anna cry out and the Doctor cringe.

He kept apologising as he seized her under the arms and clumsily dragged her over the dirt and out of the line of fire. With a grunt of effort, the Doctor heaved Anna's limp form over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. He did his best not to jostle her too much, which was exceedingly difficult, since every step he took jolted her slightly. The fact that the forest seemed to raise its roots and stick out its branches to impede his progress didn't help either.

"Hurry" Anna gasped out, clawing at the Doctor's tweed jacket. "It's…started". Her hands were shining gold. The Doctor stumbled and staggered down the path, back to the market, back to her box. The sounds of the battle faded away, but the Doctor could still hear the gunshots in his mind. Inside he was screaming, cursing the damned loggers with their damned guns and their damned bullets and their damned greed!

The police box stood inconspicuously between two abandoned stalls. The doors swung open at once, without the Doctor even having to snap his fingers. He carried Anna inside and demanded "Which is the quickest way to the med bay?"

"No...it's started, Thief. Place me near the console" replied Anna, in a voice so strained and hoarse the Doctor barely heard her. "No, I can help" he protested, even as he crouched down and laid her on her side, stroking her hair back from her face. "I'm the Doctor, I can fix this". Tears filled his eyes. Anna smiled weakly. "It's going to be okay" she told him, "you have to stand back, I can't hold it back for much longer".

The Doctor shook his head. "You'll lose the baby!" he cried desperately. Anna gave him a sad, loving smile. "Trust me" she told him; then with the last of her strength, she reached out and shoved him hard in the chest. He fell away from her just as she burst into light. A split second later, the Doctor felt the floor shudder as they took flight, despite the fact that neither had touched the controls.

White gold energy poured out of, through and around Anna; and all the Doctor could think of was the baby. This was the reason that the Time Lords had done away with natural pregnancies and turned to the artificial Looms. An undeveloped, defenceless embryo could never survive the onslaught of regeneration. All this flashed through the Doctor's mind in the mere moments that Anna glowed. Suddenly the energy faded into the console and the floor, and Anna lay in a new body on the floor.

"Aah!" she exclaimed abruptly, making the Doctor jump. "Well, _that _was unpleasant!" She jumped to her feet and proceeded to prod and poke at her new body, as well as babble; in French, no less. "Bien!" she announced in satisfaction, and turned to the Doctor, grinning at him expectantly.

She was now his exact equal in height, not a millimetre taller or shorter. She had decreased in age, and now displayed the apparent age, and fresh faced wonder, of a twenty year old. Her nose was snubbed, her ears small, and her chin didn't stick out, which was more than could be said for his chin. In fact she had a distinctly Asian appearance; even her skin was darker. Her hair was black and straight, falling down to her shoulders.

However, the most striking feature of Anna's new form was her eyes. They were a light amber colour, and in the light of the console room, they seemed to glow like molten gold. Anna's previous eyes, the eyes that had belonged to Idris, never gave a hint as to the brilliant mind behind them. They were big and brown, curious and just a tad vacant at times. These eyes were the eyes of a Time Lady. They held all her long years, her child like delight, and they seemed to swirl like the Vortex itself.

"Hello, Thief!" she said playfully, as if they'd never met before. Her voice was bright and cheerful. "What do you think, good different or bad different?"

The Doctor smiled in spite of himself. "Definitely good different" he assured her, "you look amazing".

Anna beamed at him, and did a little twirl. "It's very fresh! Still needs a road test though. I wonder…" she gave the Doctor a wicked grin and pounced on him, pressing their lips together before he could exclaim, much less object. To his surprise, he found his arms wrapping themselves of their own accord around her shoulders, and his tongue peeking out to taste the sharp tang of Time on her lips.

Just as he was starting to really enjoy the kiss, Anna stepped away. She moved her head and her wrists, testing out the joints. "Why are you so sad?" she asked, examining her reflection in the glass of the scanner screen. "I mean you're always sad, and that makes me sad, but right now you're sad for a reason, which is?"

With a sigh, the Doctor replied "the baby, Anna. It won't have survived. I'm…I'm so sorry". To his shock, Anna only chuckled. "Oh, my beautiful idiot, the baby is fine! Listen!" She made as if to kiss him again, and he stepped back in alarm. Anna pouted. "What? I only want you to hear something" she explained.

"Oh, right…okay" he replied awkwardly. They both leaned forwards and pressed their foreheads together. At first, nothing happened; but gradually, the Doctor made out a sweet, innocent song echoing in his head. He knew Anna's song, and this was not it. This was entirely his child's quiet, shaky tune.

When he came back to himself, Anna had her arms around him, supporting him. His knees had nearly given way. "That…that was…"

She smiled tenderly at him. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Oh Doctor, did you really think I wouldn't prepare for something like this? The energy barrier that I formed around my womb will have absorbed…the _majority _of the regeneration energy" she explained. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "And the minority?" he inquired. Anna turned to the monitor and scanned herself. **Anna – pregnancy confirmed. 3 months. **

The Doctor frowned, puzzled. "Three months? I could have sworn it's only been two" he muttered. Anna twisted the dials and keyed something into the typewriter. The writing on the scanner changed to read **Accelerated Development: Infant- 100 % Time Lord. **"What? Time Lord…but that's…I mean…what?" exclaimed the Doctor, as he stared at the screen.

"Oh, that makes sense" said Anna, and he turned to her with a disbelieving expression. "How does this make sense? The baby was formed from Time Lord and _human _cells".

"Exactly! The Time Vortex altered River's cellular structure, but she began entirely human, so of course she's only part Time Lord. This baby was already fifty percent Time Lord" Anna pointed out.

"Okay, that part I understand, but what does it mean, accelerated development?" the Doctor wondered. Anna looked at him as if he'd just dribbled on his shirt, and was clearly struggling not to laugh. "What now?" he grumbled.

Anna grinned at him. "Thief, how long does a natural born Time Lord take to fully form within the womb?" she inquired. The Doctor tried to dredge up vague memories about the less studied side of his species biology. Well, he hardly ever studied it at any rate. He was beginning to wish he had done. "Err, ten months- oh" he stated, as understanding dawned at last. "The energy accelerated the baby's development by a month, forming the telepathic centres in the brain, hence the singing" finished Anna.

The Doctor looked from the screen to Anna a few times, a grin spreading over his face. "Have I ever told you how utterly brilliant you are!" he laughed.

"Oh, I know! This regeneration is going so well, too…are you getting closer?" she asked, before collapsing neatly into his arms, unconscious. The Doctor couldn't help laughing. He hoisted her into his arms and carried her to the Zero Room. "Cod sticks" she murmured randomly in her sleep.

Knowing she would be safe there, the Doctor returned to the console room to find out where they'd landed. The TARDIS had moved in time, not in space. "Oh, right, Cheem!" exclaimed the Doctor, hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand. How could he have forgotten about the loggers, and the battle? He was a Time Lord, for crying out loud. He was supposed to be good at remembering and working things out quickly and all those sort of things.

The Doctor rushed out of the TARDIS (which was a bad habit that he ought to break), and found himself surrounded by Judoon. Hurriedly raising his hands and making a few placating...grunts, they lowered their weapons and moved aside. Jabe appeared and strode over to him. "I was wondering where you had gone. I heard that your mate was injured, is she still hurt?" asked the Tree of Cheem in concern.

"No, not anymore. Right now she's, err, resting. So you stopped the loggers, then?" he said vaguely.

Jabe nodded proudly. "I suspected that man was lying, and when you mentioned the Shadow Proclamation, I fled before the battle in order to inform them of the logger's presence. As for the logger's themselves, the police gave up attempting to shoot them and simply knocked them out using our…appendages…I'm sorry, it's an awkward subject" she explained.

"Actually" she added, "the Shadow Proclamation seemed very familiar with you, Doctor, but you seemed to imply that you weren't an agent. Who are you?" she asked. Fortunately for the Doctor, a distraction came in the form of a psychic message. It simply said '_Storm Cage Chaplain_'. "Err, I have to go. Um, I never got a chance to say this before but, thank you. And I'm sorry".

"Sorry for what?" she asked, but he was already gone.

/

River sat in the prison chaplain's office. She drummed her fingers nervously on the desk; the chaplain, a stout man known as Father Pete, raised an eyebrow at her. She raised one right back. "I would have thought your husband would have arrived by now" he commented. "He'll come. He always comes when I call" River insisted. "I have complete faith in him".

Father Dale leaned over the desk; River could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Then why do you wish to go through with something so dramatic?" he asked. River leaned back and folded her arms. "It's perfectly possible to trust someone completely, want to hate them, but still love them. Oh…he left the brakes on _again_". She rolled her eyes at the look of surprise on Father Dale's face, as the TARDIS materialised right inside his office.

A gangly man in bowtie and tweed stepped out of the TARDIS. River waved him over. "I need you to sign something" she told him. "What's that?" he asked as he approached the desk. River decided to treat it like taking off a plaster, and get it over with quickly. "Divorce papers" she stated.

His thin eyebrows disappeared beneath the Doctor's thick fringe. "No, River…" he murmured sadly, pouting at her with big eyes.

"Don't you dare; you know that never works on me. Father Pete here has sorted out all the paperwork. I figured if I couldn't get married in a proper reality, I could at least get divorced in one" explained River.

The Doctor shook his head in weak protest. "River…you can't want this" he told her, reaching up to cup her face. River grabbed his wrist and held it where it was. "Of course I don't, but its better this way. This way, we both get a fresh start" she told him, before pressing a pen into his fingers. The Doctor tore his gaze from her face to the divorce papers lying neatly on the desk.

All he had to do was scribble _Doctor _on that dotted line there, and he would no longer be married. Did that make marrying her in the first place worthless? _No_, he told himself, _you did that. You ruined this marriage the moment you chose Anna; because you can't lie, you've chosen her_. With a deep breath, the Doctor set pen to paper and signed his name.

"I suppose that's that. I'll call the guards to escort you back to your cell, Doctor Song" said Father Pete. "Yes, Father. By the way, is your colleague still preparing to go on that mission?" she inquired, as if they were merely discussing the weather and other trivial things.

The chaplain nodded. "Yes, he is. I'll put a word in for you, if you like. Take your mind off this business" he replied, shooting a not so discrete glare in the Doctor's direction.

River cleared her throat and turned to the Doctor. "You ought to be going" she said, and he couldn't miss the disappointment in her eyes and voice. He didn't know how to deal with this, so he ran. But before he re-entered the TARDIS, a thought occurred to him. "Err, this colleague, he isn't called Father Octavian by any chance, is he?" When Father Pete nodded, the Doctor said "Take care, River", and jumped back inside the safety of his box.

He moved to dematerialise, mentally kicking himself in the process. Why did he have to be so rubbish at these touchy feely things? Once they were back in the Vortex, the Doctor went to check on Anna. When he walked past her bedroom door, it swung open and naturally, he went inside.

Anna was sitting on the bed, dressed in pyjamas. "Hello, sir. I hope you don't mind, I woke up here just a few moments ago. Where am I?" she asked politely. The Doctor frowned. "Anna, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"Who is Anna? My name is Idris" she said with an almost perfectly straight face. Naturally, the Doctor noticed the corners of her lips twitching. "Very funny, old girl" he said as he stepped over and around objects, coming over to sit on the edge of the bed. Anna giggled. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Did I miss anything?" she inquired eagerly.

The Doctor sucked in a breath and blew it out again. "River just divorced me" he admitted, and Anna's eyes went wide in sympathy. "I'm so sorry" she told him, but the Doctor shook his head. "It's not your fault" he insisted, "It's mine, for choosing you. But I don't regret that" he added quickly to reassure her.

She gave him a rather puzzled look. "You don't mean choosing me in the museum. You mean you chose me over River. Why?"

"Do you really need me to say it?"

"No, but you should say it anyway. Get it off your mind".

He sighed, and sheepishly admitted, "I…don't know where to start. I guess I should start at the start, starts are good. Better than endings" he rambled, before trying to refocus. "You remember Susan. The daft old man and his granddaughter, helping one another through the stars. Then she met David. I was always so crotchety in those days, but I was shrewd as well. I saw the obvious a lot more than I do now, and I could tell, as soon as those two saw each other…"

The Doctor trailed off and sighed. "I remember wanting to shoo that man away, keep Susan away from him. But I couldn't…I just couldn't do that to her. All of them that left; Jo, Martha, Sarah Jane…I had to let them go".

"The point is", he continued, "everyone leaves, but at the same time they never leave. When it's silent, I can hear them. When I close my eyes I can see them. I meet new people to push them down for a while, but then that friend disappears from my life as well, and reappears in my dreams".

His hands were clasped on his knees, and he stared at the back of them with his head hung low. His eyes were dry, because he'd torn himself to pieces over the loss of everyone he loved too many times to cry anymore. "But you, Anna, are different" he uttered, looking up at her and smiling a fond, sad smile. "You won't leave me. I won't leave you behind. I don't have to let you go, and I never will because I...oh, you know".

Anna nodded; and then yawned. "You need your rest" the Doctor insisted, and she pouted at him. "No buts. You've been treating me like a nine year old for ages, now it's my turn" he grinned.

"Why, Thief. If you wanted to be treated more maturely, you could have just said so" Anna smirked, and kissed him passionately. "Stay" she murmured breathlessly when they came apart. It wasn't a request.

The Doctor stood up and bowed to her. "As you wish, my lady" he replied formally, shrugging off his tweed jacket. When did the room get so warm, anyway?

"How very generous of you, my lord. Allow me to return the favour". Anna placed a rather naughty image in the Doctor's mind; he blushed and glared at her. "You have to sleep" he said, but his struggling to remain serious expression only made Anna giggle. "Oh fine, spoilsport" she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

The Doctor kicked off his boots, undid his suspenders, and lay down next to Anna. She quickly curled up close to him, with her head on his chest and one leg wrapped over his. "Goodnight, Thief" she murmured, dropping off at once. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Sleep tight, Sexy" he whispered.

/

_A/N: _Okay, I know bullets are copper lined and copper isn't magnetic, but just assume that the Doctor's sonic can magnetise non-magnetic metals, okay?

And sorry Doctor/River fans, but as far as this story goes that ship has sunk. The HMS Doctor/Anna/TARDIS still has plenty of berths though.

The next few chapters might take a while; inspiration has yet to hit me.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

_A/N_: I'm back! Sorry about the wait, I didn't have inspiration. I've been watching gang movies in university- as part of an actual course! I'm just surprised it took me this long to hit on this idea.

I don't own the movies that inspired this part of the story.

Nor do I own PayPal (don't ask).

This chapter is very short, but better than nothing.

Chapter Nineteen 

Calm whirring radiated from the engines of the time machine, as the Vortex swirled through them, creating a haunting _whoosh _that was enough to send tingling shivers up any passenger's spine. The organic embodiment of this eleventh dimensional creation swam through the warm pool water, smiling in contentment. Anna rolled onto her back and floated there, hands cupped behind her head.

The Doctor walked into the library. It wasn't the best idea to have a swimming pool inside a library, but the splash guard prevented any accidents and besides, it looked cool. The Doctor leaned on the back of an armchair and watched Anna floating in the water.

The temperature of the room seemed to be slowly climbing higher; not that Anna would notice, in that midnight blue bikini. Her obsidian locks rippled out in the water. She looked mythical, like a mermaid or a sea nymph. "Why thank you, my Doctor" said Anna, smiling up at him. "That's very sweet of you to say so". The Doctor's cheeks burned redder and hotter than a chilli pepper at the realisation that he'd been speaking aloud.

It was obvious from the sparkle in Anna's amber eyes that she could tell what an interestingeffect she was having on him. "What's the matter, Thief? You don't look too well" she teased him. He gestured vaguely in her direction, and helplessly rambled with the gist of "Well what do you expect if you're just going to float there, wearing _that, _all young and Time Lady and pretty?" Anna conceded that she shouldn't have expected anything less.

Giving him a coy smile, Anna suggested "you could always come and join me. There's plenty of room for two- sorry, three" she added as the baby nudged her mind. The Doctor tugged at his bowtie and wiped a hand across his brow. "Well err, I'd love to but, I have to, err…" he floundered for an excuse. Anna dived underwater, swam the length the pool and back, and surfaced panting. A cold shower suddenly seemed very appealing.

Before the Doctor could excuse himself to go and douse in nerve shocking icy water, Anna climbed up out of the pool. "Doctor, will you do me a favour and dry my hair for me?" she asked, pouting at him.

Blinking, unsure, the Doctor came forward and obliged. As he rubbed at her hair with a rapidly dampening towel, he found himself admiring Anna's shoulders. They were just so…shoulder-y. "Is that water dripping down my neck, or are you just _very _pleased to be near me?" Anna asked flirtingly.

"What? No, I mean, yes, I mean it was the water, just the water!" he protested. Anna looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who stammered "n-not that I'm _not_ pleased to be near you, I'm _always_ pleased to be near you!"

He wasn't sure how, but the next thing the Doctor knew, he was sitting on the edge of a nearby pool chair, with Anna in his lap. "Oh, I'm always _very_ pleased to be near you, too" she assured him, and her eyes seemed to flash with fire. The Doctor gulped and squirmed a little. Abruptly Anna jumped off of him, and wandered off to dress in dry clothes.

Escaping into the shower at the first opportunity, the Doctor sat in the stall shivering and covered in goose-bumps. He attempted to take his mind off of Anna, or indeed anything involving her, him and the pool and failed miserably. In desperation, the Doctor hurriedly dried off and dressed, and ran to the console room. He needed a drink; and this time, it would have to be something stronger than tea.

/

The bars of Vapokh, border city of Callisto IV were known to be edgy, the haunt of off world smugglers and the like; but they were also cheap and relatively quiet at this time of year. Summer was the time for big business, when more supplies could get through the treacherous mountain passes. The Doctor saw nothing wrong with buying one of every drink, just to experiment. He selected a table right in the corner, next to a potted plant that had long since wilted into a brown husk, probably due to being watered for so long with unwanted alcohol.

Despite the fact that alcohol and this incarnation did not and never would mix, the Doctor didn't see the harm in 'just one more sip' of each drink. Drinking from an array of rather potent alcoholic beverages would have made any other person as drunk as a pig, but the Doctor could metabolise it quicker. That was until he sipped at a fizzy, sweet tasting drink and decided that this was the best one. He failed to realise it was ginger beer; the one type of beer he _couldn't _metabolise.

By his fifth mug the Doctor was completely intoxicated. He swung between bouts of giggling incessantly at the top of his lungs, and muttering about his dark past and darker future. The bartender came over to his table, flanked by two burly men.

"Are you going to pay for those drinks?" asked the bartender in a sour voice. The Doctor looked at him with drunken loathing. "Pay…I'll tell you who should pay; it's everyone else who should pay, pal...hey, PayPal! PayPal, Pay Paul, paper…ha, ha!" he grabbed a spoon and began rocking back and forth, watching his reflection get smaller and then bigger. It apparently fascinated him.

The bartender nodded to the men on either side of him. The one on his left reached over and plucked the spoon from the giggling Doctor's fingers. He frowned in puzzlement, and looked up to find the other man's fist introducing itself to his face. No one batted an eyelid.

/

As she brushed her hair, Anna found it was still damp and beginning to curl up at the ends. The Doctor hadn't done such a good job of drying it, then; not that she blamed him. She knew he was never sure of himself when it came to flirting, but she just hadn't been able to help herself.

Mere days ago on Cheem, the Doctor had been so chivalrous and tender; she'd spent the whole time, right until disaster struck, being grateful that she stole such a wonderful man to be her pilot, and now, her lover. Then she'd regenerated, and the Doctor had been the first face that this face saw. He became imprinted onto her hearts. Anna never thought she could fall in love with the Doctor twice, but that night had proved her wrong.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down Anna's spine, twinging a little on the spot where in her previous body, she had been mortally wounded. She paused and reached out telepathically to the Doctor. He was not inside the TARDIS. His mind seemed to be dark and fuzzy, as if he was sleeping…no, there was pain there too, so he had been knocked out; and he was waking up. Then came a jerk into reality and the harrowing realisation that he was captured.

Anna wasted no time in mentally double checking exactly where the Doctor had landed them. _Callisto IV, really? I thought you knew better, Doctor_. Still, scolding him in spirit would do much less good than rescuing him and then scolding him in person. Swiftly, she dressed in the darkest clothing she could find, figuring it would help her to sneak around wherever the Doctor was being held.

/

At the bartender's order, the thugs carried the unconscious Time Lord down into the basement. There they tied rope around his wrists and left him dangling from the ceiling. "Should we wake 'im up?" asked the uglier of the two. The barman, Carnell, spat at the ground below the Doctor's hanging feet. "Wait till the boss gets here" he ordered.

The Doctor began to stir. His head pounded as if the Dream Lord were having a rock and roll party with the Master's drums. At first he had the oddest sensation of floating, which gradually morphed into the feeling of rope rough against his wrists, and a distinct lack of ground beneath his feet. A heavy weight thudded into his stomach and the Doctor's eyes flew open with a gasp.

Carnell started yelling at the man that had punched their prisoner, who hung there panting and out of breath. "Are you thick? What part of '_wait'_ did you not understand, you-!" Here he slewed out a string of colourful swear words.

"Wide vocabulary" the Doctor muttered drily, having recovered his breath. "I know you from somewhere" he said, peering at Carnell. After a moment's thought it came back to him. "Right, barman. Hello. Had too much to drink, did I? Never doing that again. Is this about the drinks? Cause I did pay. I distinctly remember paying…I think".

His casual attitude rubbed Carnell the wrong way. He slapped the Doctor hard around the face and replied "See, there are these rumours going around, about a dead man walking. Now the man I work for, he's a…collector, of sorts. The more valuable the object, the more he's willing to do, to get a hold of it".

Just then the phone rang. "What an up to date dungeon, it even has a phone line. When do I get my two minutes?" quipped the Doctor. Carnell scowled at him and answered the phone.

"You do realise we're gonna torture you, right?" asked the stupider of the thugs. His partner thwacked him around the back of the head. "Okay boys, it turns out the collector isn't going to make it today. He said to make him talk, in any way possible". He smiled sadistically at the Doctor, who wondered what he'd got himself into this time, and hoped that Anna was okay.

/

The main street of Vapokh on the Callistian Arinsinian border was thronged with black marketers, drunken louts and rifle toting vigilantes. Not a day went by without a vicious and bloody gang battle breaking out, or a wooden and decaying building being attacked by arsonists, the survivors stumbling from the flames just to be massacred by machine gun fire.

It was no place to be sneaking around in the dead of night, but that was exactly what Anna was doing. Her dull coloured clothes neither swished nor rustled, and let her blend into the shadows between blazing fires and scanning searchlights. The Doctor was being imprisoned somewhere on the other side of the main street; crossing it would be incredibly dangerous, but this was the Doctor she was rescuing. She had to do whatever it took to keep him safe; that was her job, after all.

It was impossible for her to tell what was happening to the Doctor, but she bet every fleck of paint on her box that it was not something pleasant. She reached the precarious safety of an alleyway at about one o' clock in the morning. The main street, which divided the city of Vapokh between the ruthless black marketers and the cunning vigilantes, lay just ahead.

It did not appear threatening. In fact, it looked like any street would in the early hours of the morning; utterly deserted. Anna knew however, that the moment she stepped out onto the road, sensors would alert the men waiting on both sides to pick off anyone who tried to cross the street. She would have to find a way of crossing over without actually walking across the street.

Before Anna could devise a plan, she heard a snapping noise behind her and whirled around. A gloved hand clamped down over her mouth, cutting off the instinctive urge to cry out in alarm. Moments later a sickly sweet scent filled her nostrils, and the fumes of the chloroform soaked glove sent her spiralling into unconsciousness.

/

Carnell gripped the Doctor's hair and tugged his head back. Then he slit a knife under the Doctor's chin, making the Time Lord hiss in pain. Blood dripped and trickled down his throat and chest. "And that's only the first of many" he whispered cruelly, tightening his grip. "Where's your time machine?" he demanded.

The Doctor should have known what they were after. "You're very well informed, but there's a bit that must have been left out. You can cut that knife across every inch of me, but I will _never _tell you where to find the TARDIS". Carnell's lips twisted into a malicious and sinister sneer.

"I might just take you up on that offer, Doc. Be careful to keep him alive, boys…dead men might walk, but they don't usually talk" he laughed mirthlessly. The two thugs gave their leader a clumsy salute, and advanced on the bound and helpless Time Lord with sharpened blades drawn.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

Here it is folks, the big two zero! I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and followed this story so far, including InvisibleBlade and iPinkNinja. So, THANKYOU!

Chapter Twenty 

Austin watched in satisfaction as the slight figure before him crumpled to the ground, and reached out to pull away the hood and reveal their face. To his surprise and slight worry, he found it was a young Anglo-Asian woman, rather than the moustached, pale skinned black marketer he was expecting. Bending down, he scooped the young woman up off the ground. Her skin felt oddly cool; but he soon dismissed it.

His wife Josie was preparing a simple dinner when she heard heavy breathing, and feet scuffling outside the door. Quickly she took shelter in a shadowed corner, armed with a bread knife gripped tight in her palm. She watched unnoticed as her husband entered with a body in his grip, and laid it on the lumpy chairs that served them for a couch. "You can come out of the corner, Josie. We have a guest" he said aloud.

Josie revealed herself and brandished the knife threateningly at Austin. "What are you thinking, bringing someone here? She could sell us out to _them_, and besides, we've barely got enough food for two mouths as it is" she reprimanded him. Austin sat at the rough kitchen table and began polishing his gun. "I'll go hungry tonight, then" he said unconcernedly.

"Damned right you will, and get that off the table. I don't care if gunpowder gives the gruel extra flavour, I won't have it staining what I eat" grumbled Josie. Austin propped the rifle against his chair and gestured to their guest. "I accidentally chloroformed her out on the main street, mistook her for one of them. Now I think she's from off world, because no local would be reckless enough to go skulking around down there at night" he explained.

Just then the young woman stirred, eyelids fluttering. "Ugh…hurt…hurts, sick, _ow_" she groaned. "Sick, gonna be sick". Josie rolled her eyes and heaved the girl off the couch, helping her over to the sink. "See what you've done?" she scolded her husband, as Anna retched, "It's probably an allergic reaction to that damned chloroform".

Anna lifted her left arm and pushed back the sleeve of the leather jacket she had borrowed from the Doctor (it _was_ borrowed, because unlike him she actually planned to return it). The normally bright silver light was dimming, and Anna's eyes widened. "Oh dear, oh no…quick, I need fermented ginger, protein and sodium chloride" she told Josie urgently. Seeing the older woman's confusion, she gave a frustrated, slightly strangled yell and began to rummage through the kitchen cupboards.

Josie came to her senses and tried to herd Anna away from their limited food source. Anna fought back tooth and nail, eventually securing a handful of salted nuts from a barrel and stuffing them into her mouth. "Ow inner ear!" she announced; at least, that was what it sounded like behind a mouthful of nuts. What she really meant to say was "Now ginger beer!"

"She's completely mad!" wailed Josie.

"Aha!" cried Anna, spying a bottle of ginger beer on the top shelf. She climbed right up onto the countertop and gulped down two mouthfuls. Then she shuddered, and a cloud of some gaseous substance emerged from her mouth. Austin and Josie watched in disbelief. "Ah, that's better" Anna said in satisfaction, checking on the now shining natal scanner.

Then she slapped Austin hard around the face. "Chloroform!" she snapped at him, "I'm pregnant, stupid. You nearly harmed my child". When she heard this, Josie glared daggers at her sheepish husband. "I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions" he conceded.

Anna shrugged and made for the door. "Wait, where are you going? It's dangerous out there" Austin protested. He soon quailed under the withering glare that Anna directed at him, one that could give his wife a run for her money. "I'm well aware of that, but I don't have a choice. My Doctor, my love is in grave danger and I must rescue him" she revealed, tugging on the door handle. It was locked.

Undeterred, Anna pulled out her own sonic screwdriver and aimed at the door. It clicked open easily and Anna made to march out, but paused. "What is the safest path across the main street?" she asked Austin, who got to his feet and said "No path. You're staying right here, ma'am, where I can keep an eye on you". Anna defiantly took a step out of the door, only to find herself being held at gunpoint.

"Josie, put our guest here in the extra room. Just do it!" he snarled, when his wife looked about to object. Anna pocketed her sonic once more and allowed herself to be locked into another room. She would escape in the morning; right now, she had to make sure the Doctor was still alive. Anna lay back on the thin mattress and breathed deeply, entering a trance like state. She reached out telepathically, following their symbiotic link into his mind.

/

As far as torture went, the Doctor had gone through much worse. So what if his arms and shoulders were aching from supporting his weight, and he was covered in small bloody gashes? It could be a lot worse. He kept his mouth tightly shut, and not just to stop blood from dribbling into it from the cuts on his lips and forehead. The thugs, 'Meanie' and 'Dummy' as he'd mentally termed them, paused in their sickening enthusiasm. "Which bit of him haven't we cut yet?" asked Meanie.

His partner scratched his head with a gormless look. "We could cut his tongue" he suggested. Meanie gave Dummy a look of absolute contempt. "If we cut his tongue, he won't be able to talk. If he can't talk, he can't tell us where he's hiding that time machine of his. And if we don't _find_ that machine, then _I _can't be rich!"

Dummy looked puzzled. "Don't you mean that _we_ can't be rich?" he asked, and ducked as Meanie threw his knife at him. The point embedded in the plaster of the bricks. "Um, he's got two ears. We could cut one off, it's not like he can't live with just one" Dummy pointed out. Meanie tugged his knife from the wall and grinned. "Good idea. Unless you'd like to start talking?" he asked mockingly, gripping the Doctor's chin in one hand.

The Doctor glared back at him and gritted his teeth. "Suit yourself" smirked Meanie, setting the red stained blade against the Doctor's ear. Suddenly the door banged open, startling the thug into dropping the knife. "What now? I was busy" he snarled.

Carnell stood in the doorway, looking un-amused. "I do realise your messy attempts at butchery use all of your limited attention span, but I need you both to help search for the time machine. Leave him" he ordered.

The thugs followed Carnell out of the basement. Left alone, and still strung up like a carcass, the Doctor coughed up a mouthful of blood and spat it onto the floor. A familiar mind touched his own, sending bursts of various emotions and images that formed the telepathic equivalent of Morse code.

_Are you badly hurt? _

_Almost became a Van Gogh lookalike. Some collector wants the TARDIS. _

_Don't worry. I've hidden it. _

_Where are you? _

_On the other side of the Main Street. I will find a way to cross. _

_It's too dangerous. Go back to the ship. _

_I will escape soon and rescue you. _

Before the Doctor could protest, Anna's mind left his, and he sighed in disappointment. Eyeing the bloodied ropes bound tight around his wrists, the Doctor began to tug and stretch them. Slowly but surely they loosened and he pulled his hands free, dropping to the ground with thud that jarred his legs. The Doctor winced and looked up at the ceiling, but no one seemed to have heard the noise.

Out of habit, he reached up to straighten his bowtie, only to find a blood sodden scrap of fabric drooping at his neck. "Oh, that is just too much" he muttered, limping stiffly up to the door. It was locked of course. The Doctor attempted to use his sonic screwdriver, but there were two problems. One, unlike Anna he still had not added a wood setting. Two, his sonic screwdriver was in his jacket and his jacket was nowhere to be found.

Miserable, and hurting all over, the Doctor went and sat in a corner, facing the wall like a naughty child. The door opened and Dummy walked in. "How did you get there?" he asked in pure bemusement, looking from the startled Doctor to the ropes and back again. His prisoner did not dignify him with an answer.

Dummy marched over and sat about a foot away from the Doctor, stuck his meaty hand out and grasped the back of the Doctor's shirt.

"Um…what are you doing?"

"Boss told me to keep a hold on you".

"So you're literally going to keep a hold on me…all day?"

"Yes". The Doctor sighed and rested his head against the wall. This was going to be a long day.

/

Anna recovered from her telepathic trance and opened her eyes to find Josie staring down at her. The older woman jumped slightly when Anna's eyes snapped open; when she recovered, she asked "Do you want anything to eat?"

"No thank you, but I would like to leave" replied Anna. Josie made no comment, and Anna rolled her eyes. "I didn't think that would work" she sighed, getting up off the bed and walking over to the window. It was at least a thirty foot drop outside. She wondered if there was any way onto the roof.

Josie watched in mild bemusement as her odd guest stalked the room like a caged beast. "What's your name?" she asked directly. "Anna" the young woman replied, just as sharply. "Anna", repeated Josie, "lover of the dead Doctor".

The effect of these words was electric. Anna rounded on Josie with her honey gold eyes wide in horror. "The Doctor is dead, is that true? Tell me!" she demanded harshly, practically shaking with fear. Josie raised her hands in a gesture of surrender and stepped away from the seemingly mad young thing. "Now I didn't say that. I was merely referring to the rumours, about a man with a title for a name that died and yet walks amongst us still" she explained.

"Not that I believe such nonsense, or take any part in passing it around, not usually. No, I keep my head down and soldier on, the way my mother did when she widowed, the way I'll do if Austin gets killed by the collector's goons" lamented Josie. This sparked Anna's curiosity; the Doctor had mentioned a 'collector'. As politely as she could, she asked Josie who the collector was.

Sighing, reluctant, Josie nonetheless revealed how this particular district of Vapokh fell apart. "About a decade ago, the main street was safe to cross at any hour of the day or night. The honourable Lord Harrison controlled both of these factions; we Callistians controlling security, and the Arinsinian refugees monitoring the market".

"Then five years on, an Arinsinian black market dealer showed up looking for work. Three days later, Lord Harrison was dead and he'd put himself in charge. He offered all the workers on both sides a choice; join him or die. Most accepted, as you can imagine, but a few escaped the massacre and formed a rival gang. We've been at war ever since".

Anna didn't know what to say. She gave Josie a tentative pat on the shoulder in sympathy; Josie merely said "I'll bring you some water". She removed herself from the room, locking the door behind her. Anna's mind began ticking over, nurturing the seed of an idea to save her Thief and stop the gang war once and for all. When Josie re-entered, a tumbler of clear water in her grasp, Anna said urgently, "Where's your husband? I need him, now".

But Austin was unavailable; he was fighting, always fighting, and he might not come home. Undaunted, Anna found a scrap of paper and a pen, scribbling something down and folding it up. "I need to get this note over the other side" she told Josie.

"You're mad, you are. What's that note say, anyway?" asked Josie, who was curious in spite of herself. Anna waved the paper in front of her nose and replied "this is how I'm going to get the Doctor back".

Eventually Josie was persuaded to send the note, through a network of passers on, to Austin on the 'front lines' with the instruction to pass it on to the collector's right hand man.

/

"Why won't you just _talk_ already?!" Meanie yelled in frustration, chucking the Doctor against the wall. He hit the rough bricks with an appalling crunching sound, which he was sure was his shoulder blade cracking. "Well perhaps if you asked nicely" he muttered irritably. Before the thugs could drag him out and start pummelling him again, the door swung open.

Carnell sauntered in with a smug expression plastered on his unpleasant face. "You can lay off the interrogation, boys. Our prize is in the bag" he announced proudly.

"You found the time machine?" asked Dummy. "Even better. Someone on the other side offered to personally give the collector all of time in return for this one here" explained Carnell, jerking his thumb at the Doctor. "All we have to do is a swap _him _for the time machine, and hey presto, we've killed two birds with one stone".

They left laughing and thumping each other on the back, whilst the Doctor huddled in the corner ignored. "No, Anna…what have you done?" he whispered, alone in the dark. All the cuts on his arms, legs and face were scarring over, but they still stung. He winced as he lay down and closed his eyes, thinking that he could at least catch a few winks now that these thugs seemed to be done with him. Sleep, however, proved to be as elusive as freedom at that moment. It hovered on the horizon, but didn't feel as if it came any closer.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Twenty One 

Anna restlessly paced around Austin and Josie's small kitchen, biting her knuckles. The clock on the wall ticked inexorably slowly, and Anna didn't look at it because she already knew exactly what time it would show, and that the time would be no closer to twelve o' clock than it was when she woke up.

She had instructed; nay, demanded that the collector must come personally. However, the collector was away on 'business' of a shady sort, and wouldn't return for two days. These two days had been the longest of Anna and the Doctor's lives. Both were terrified for the other, prisoners each in their own way, and separated by the nigh impassable gulf of the main street.

The only comfort to Anna, to both of them, was that Carnell had accepted Anna's second condition; that from now on, the Doctor was not to be interrogated or harmed in any way. Carnell kept his word on that score; but the Doctor did not trust him, and when they gave him food he left it there untouched. He didn't put it past Carnell to slip a high dosage of drugs or poison into the grimy water or stiff bread.

Austin was on a reconnaissance mission to another district of Vapokh, in the hope of finding and recruiting more people to the cause. Not that it would help, because the whole town was comprised of gangs, and there was no point ditching one gang just to stick your neck out for another identical one. At least that was what Josie said, when she wasn't busying herself washing or ironing.

Right now she was at the sink, washing dishes from breakfast. "Anna, come and dry this for me. Anna!" Her needle sharp voice startled Anna out of her anxious reverie. Josie sighed and impatiently repeated her instruction. After a moment Anna came over and scrubbed at the ceramic bowl with a dry, albeit threadbare washcloth.

Josie rinsed out two glasses and scrubbed them inside and out. "I'm getting tired of your moping around. Oh, I know it's hard to have your man in their hands, just like it's hard for me to have my man fighting them. But do you see me pacing or sitting and staring into space? Never. You can't let your life grind to a halt out of worry and angst" she insisted.

Then she handed Anna the glasses to be dried. Placing them carefully upside down on the side board, as Josie instructed, Anna said "You're very wise, Josie". The other woman exclaimed "Too right!", but she seemed to be pleased, underneath.

So instead of 'moping', Anna spent the rest of the morning doing chores. She was busily scrubbing at a particular stubborn mark on the table; if it weren't for the fact that it was slowly flaking, she would have thought it were a knot in the wood; when Josie came over. "Leave that for now, or you'll be late" she said.

The clock on the wall announced the time; ten minutes to twelve. The door swung open to reveal Austin, stone faced. "It's time to go. Are you ready?" he asked, as if they were about to embark on the siege of an impenetrable fortress. Anna nodded with conviction.

None of them spoke on the walk from Austin's flat to the main street. Anna walked between Austin and Josie; the latter had come in order to safely lead Anna, and if all went to plan the Doctor, back to safety. Every shutter was closed, every door tightly locked. The sun beat down, and the roar of the rest of the city seemed far away and unimportant.

Gripped tight in Anna's hands was a small disc, with a red switch in the middle of it. Austin had taken her back to the TARDIS the night before, to allow her to retrieve the necessary parts to build it. He had been as awed by the interior as anyone, but she couldn't enjoy it as she usually did. When he asked why she couldn't just fly in the TARDIS over the line, she explained that she was part of events now, and couldn't change things.

They had reached the main street. It had been cut off by makeshift barriers, and was lined on both sides by suspicious, wary gang members. On the far side, a stout man with a stubble covered face stood beside a ratty looking man with thinning hair and a sour complexion. "That's the collector and Carnell" Austin whispered in her ear.

The collector came forward; at a nudge from Austin, Anna did the same. When they were three feet apart, the collector demanded "Where is the time machine?" She could smell the alcohol and nicotine on his breath from here. "You won't have it until I know the Doctor is safe".

Carnell stepped aside to reveal the very battered and handcuffed Time Lord. His tweed coat hid the tears all over his shirt, but his trousers were tatty and stained with blood. He hadn't eaten or seen sunlight for three days, and now he was thin and sallow. But when his eyes met Anna's they brightened somewhat, and his lips twitched into a tiny smile.

"There you are, he's safe" the collector said impatiently, holding out his hand. Anna gave him a glare that would have set a Dalek shivering in its shell. He sighed and gestured to Carnell, who unlocked the cuffs around the Doctor's wrists and shoved him out onto the road. The Doctor stumbled, and walked as quickly as he could manage up to Anna.

She embraced him, briefly but tightly, and told him to cross to the other side. "Anna, don't do this" he murmured, but she only shook her head. "I don't have a choice" she whispered back. Before the Doctor could protest further, Austin hurried over and tugged him away.

A sly smile spread across the collector's flabby face as Anna turned back to him and held out the disk. "Press that switch, and it will summon the time machine to you" she explained, and tossed it to him. Then she turned and ran back to the other side. Her foot hit the pavement just as someone shouted "He's gone!"

The collector had vanished into thin air, leaving both sides stunned. "What have you done to him?" challenged Carnell, fingers twitching for his pistol. Austin's hand hovered just above his own gun. Anna did not look around, she just kept walking, and the Doctor followed her. Josie was waiting for them behind the front lines. They reached her just as gunfire broke out behind them.

The threesome fled, back through the warren of streets and alleyways to the safety of Austin's secret flat. As they neared the block, Josie insisted that they hold her hands and close their eyes, so the location would be kept secret. She refused endanger the other families here. So with eyes tightly shut, the Doctor and Anna allowed themselves to be led like the blind up to the flat.

Once they were inside, Anna fixated her gaze on the floor, the Doctor's on her, and Josie's on both of them. "Okay, out with it" she prompted, "what happened to the collector?"

Anna flinched as if she had been physically hit, and replied "He's…gone. I phased him out of existence".

The Doctor was staring at her with horror, sadness and guilt in his eyes; she could feel them boring into her. "You never should have done that" he said, and it felt like he was condemning her. It was as if he was claiming her crime unforgivable, irredeemable. Anna fled into the guest bedroom and locked the door behind her.

Once inside, she walked over to the window and leaned on the sill, with tears streaming silently down her face. The breeze wiped them away. Regretful thoughts of _should have _and _could have _chased each other around and around her consciousness. It was fitting she should be dressed in black.

Josie's words floated through her mind: _You can't let worry and angst make your life grind to a halt. _Sometimes though, just pushing everything aside and soldiering on wasn't enough. Anna reluctantly unlocked the door from her place by the window, not even looking round when it opened and the Doctor came in.

He stood at the door, she stood at the window. "Can you reverse it?" asked the Doctor. Anna shook her head, still without looking at him. "The process is irreversible. You know that, this is the same fate you decided for the Family of Blood" she reminded him. The Doctor frowned, as memories of another life, a broken-hearted woman and the rage of a Time Lord filled his mind.

Anna took advantage of his silence to continue. "You feared nightmares after that; you'd stay awake day after day so you wouldn't disturb Martha. When you did sleep I helped you, blocked those memories from your mind. If I could I would have held you through the night. What you did to them was terrible, but I understood and I forgave you".

Her words were both blame and plea; the Doctor accepted both. "I understand too, and I forgive you" he said. She turned then, her bright eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "You're still angry with me". It was a statement, not a question.

"I'm angry at myself, really. Making these sorts of decisions, bearing the guilt; that's what I do, and I…I never wanted you to become like that" he explained. "I shouldn't have come here".

Anna glared at him and wiped her eyes impatiently. "No, you shouldn't have" she agreed, "and if I want to be selfish for your sake than I will be. Don't turn this into a matter of choosing sides and keeping score– don't you _dare_" she demanded harshly. The Doctor nodded slowly in agreement. As Anna looked over his maltreated appearance, her gaze and voice softened. "Come here" she murmured.

The Doctor obeyed. They met in the centre of the room, and before the Doctor could question or protest, Anna had pressed her hands to his face. He felt a wave of energy pass from her to him, rippling through his entire body until not a trace of the cuts was left behind.

"You gave me ten years of your life once" said Anna, "the least I can do is return the favour with ten minutes of mine". The Doctor swallowed nervously. "I thought we weren't keeping score" he muttered, and Anna shook her head. "This isn't keeping score. This is me loving you". Their lips moved together, and were just about to touch when somebody rapped on the door.

"Lunch!" called Josie. They returned to the kitchen, where Austin was already seated at the table and Josie was serving out four dishes of beef and potato stew. "What happened to you all?" Anna asked Austin, who replied "Carnell and I went head to head, luckily for me, I drew just a few seconds faster. Then after that it was just utter pandemonium".

The Doctor sat down opposite Austin, with Anna on his left. "How many dead?" he asked, trying to fight down the urge to vomit at the thought.

"Eighteen. Six of ours and twelve of theirs; then again, with the collector and Carnell gone it'll be more difficult for them to keep fighting us. We might actually win this war once and for all soon" said Austin, although it was clear that his hopes were not high. The four of them ate their meal in silence, none of them looking at each other, lost in their own thoughts. The Doctor held Anna's hand beneath the table.

After lunch, and another stumbling blind walk out of the location, Austin guided the Doctor and Anna back to their TARDIS. "Thank you, for everything" said Anna, giving the Callistian a kiss on the cheek. Austin blushed slightly as he shook the Doctor's hand, and then he watched open mouthed as the TARDIS dematerialized. A moment later he shook himself and hurried off; there were more important things to do, like survive.

/

Fifteen minutes later, the lovers sat opposite one another on a couch in the library. "We were lucky, in a way, that the collector only wanted the TARDIS. He could have alerted the Silence that you were alive" Anna pointed out. "That's what worries me the most; those rumours about a dead man coming back to life" she admitted.

The Doctor nodded gravely. "Yes, I'm worried about that as well. Apparently just dying isn't enough; I think it's time we disappeared, hey dear? Who says the TARDIS and the Doctor ever existed" he suggested. "What about me?" asked Anna, and the Doctor raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Well it's like I just said. We can change history, you and me don't even have to exist" he reminded her.

"You said the TARDIS".

"But, Anna, you _are _the TARDIS".

Anna sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "I haven't been the TARDIS for months, and I haven't _wanted_ to be the TARDIS for much longer. Only I'll never be just a Time Lady; I'm stuck in a limbo, I suppose" she commented sadly. The Doctor frowned. "What did I say when I touched your console for the first time?" he asked.

She looked at him with a curious expression. "Just answer my question" he prompted gently, and Anna replied. "You said I was the most beautiful thing you'd ever known". A fond smile spread over the Doctor's lips. "All these years and it's still true. You remember dying in the parallel world, right? That's something that only happened to you, the TARDIS" he pointed out.

"I know what you're trying to say. But really Thief, just because I remember being the TARDIS doesn't mean I still am" said Anna, unconvinced. "Well, I say you are, so there" the Doctor teased her. Anna rolled her eyes and looked over to the smooth surface of the pool. Then she got to her feet and took off the leather jacket and black long sleeved shirt, revealing the top half of her bikini underneath.

Anna misinterpreted the Doctor's stare and replied "What? I was going to go back in anyway. It'll clean off in the pool". She whipped off her iron grey trousers and stood there clad in nothing but that damned bikini. With difficulty the Doctor switched his brain back on. "So err, that offer to swim with you, is it still open?" he asked shyly.

When Anna nodded happily, the Doctor rose and somehow, in less than a minute, wore nothing but a pair of shuttle covered swimming trunks. Now it was Anna's turn to stare. "I couldn't find any clean underwear" he explained sheepishly, with a shrug.

"It's not that, it's…space shuttles, really?" Anna giggled. "Thanks a lot, old girl" the Doctor huffed. He pouted at her and held his arms out for a hug. Anna fell for his trick; the moment she stepped into his embrace, the Doctor scooped her up in his arms and carried her towards the deep end. "Don't!" she squealed, struggling and giggling breathlessly.

_Splash! _Pool water flooded up their nostrils and seeped between their lips and eyelids. They surfaced spitting and gasping. "Revenge" smirked the Doctor, "best served soaked".

"Oh, I couldn't agree more" replied Anna. And so ensued a splashing, laughter filled chase about the pool, with their worries put away; for the time being.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Twenty Two 

"Oh, you are going to _love_ this!" the Doctor said enthusiastically as he bounced around the console. "Halloween in 2014!" He turned to Anna with an exuberant smile on his face, which faded somewhat at her dubious expression. "What's so special about that year?" she inquired, and the Doctor shrugged. "I don't know, but it rhymes! Rhyming is good. We'll have lots of fun, I promise; we'll get candy and carve pumpkins…by the way, you look really, really cute like that!"

He meant it by way of a compliment, but Anna merely scowled at him. He had somehow contrived to dress her up as a cat, because apparently her black hair and amber eyes were catlike. She wore a headband with fluffy cat ears stuck to it and a face paint pink nose whiskers; she had drawn the line at wearing a belt with a fake tail. The Doctor was dressed up like Schrodinger, a physicist who once created a thought experiment with a metaphorical cat. Somehow, Anna doubted anyone would get the reference.

They landed in a typical English town, filled with joyful trick or treat-ers roaming the darkened streets. The chilly air blew red and golden leaves around their ankles, as they walked down a street lined with leering pumpkins and ghoulish cut outs.

There weren't too many people on this street, but those that were gave the Doctor and Anna sideways glances and stares. Of course they were probably staring at the Doctor, since he tended to attract that sort of attention. It wasn't as if they were staring at her…Anna was used to not being noticed by anyone unless they were looking for her, and now that she was five months pregnant, she couldn't help but feel…a little conspicuous.

The Doctor sensed Anna's discomfort and took hold of her hand. "You can't really notice it" he murmured out of the corner of his mouth. Anna felt a little better. "This looks like a good house" she suggested, pointing to one with bay windows and a smiling cardboard ghost pinned onto the door.

They stepped up, and the Doctor rapped neatly on the door. After a moment or so a goblin opened the door; well, a little boy dressed as a goblin. "Trick or treat!" shouted the little boy. "What? No, we're supposed to say that, you've got it all wrong!" the Doctor protested.

Just then the boy's mother came bustling up. "Sorry, I was just about to take him out trick or treating. Ready to go, Billy?" she asked. Billy nodded eagerly. His mother gave him his coat to put on and then held out a dishful of brightly coloured sweets. The Doctor and Anna reached out and took a handful each. "What are you supposed to be?" asked Billy. He was probably staring at them from behind his mask.

The Doctor gestured to Anna. "She's a cat and I'm a"-

"Mad scientist" interrupted Anna, earning her a glare from the Doctor. "Yes, well, we'd best be off. Come on Billy" said Billy's mother. She stepped out and locked the door behind her. "You wanna come with us?" asked Billy. Anna expected the Doctor to agree, and of course that's exactly what he did. "We'd love to, wouldn't we Anna? Lead the way, Billy!" he grinned. Anna gave Billy's mother an apologetic look and suggested, "perhaps we should ask his mum first, Doctor", but to no avail; both Time Lord and child were already halfway down the street.

So the quartet headed off into the night, on an epic quest for cavity creating goodies. Billy's mother, whose name was Marianne Beech, walked with Anna as the Doctor and her son ran ahead, whooping as if both were children. "Your friend there, what's his name again?" asked Marianne, "Doctor Who?"

"Oh, he's called um, John. John Smith" Anna lied, with a fond smile that didn't escape Marianne's attention. "Ah, I knew it! I thought you might be more than friends, two young people like yourselves!" she beamed.

Anna had to bite back a giggle at being called 'young' If only Marianne knew…

"Oh yes, we're much more than good friends. In fact you could say we've been in love since we first met" she said dreamily. Marianne smiled as well, imagining how romantic their first meeting must have been. "How wonderful. I'd love to hear about it" she hinted.

At first, Anna wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't as if she could explain how she and the Doctor really met - so she made it up. "Well, I was working in a museum for, um, travel. The Doctor…Dr Smith, he was doing a dissertation on time travel that I helped him with. The first time we travelled together, he said"- just then the Doctor and Billy came running back.

"Mum! Mum! Look! The Doctor gave me this bag that can hold loads and loads and _loads_ of candy. He says it's bigger on the inside!" Billy cried eagerly. Marianne smiled fondly at her son's vivid imagination. "Have you said thank you to Dr Smith?" she prompted. Billy looked guilty for a moment, and then he hugged the Doctor around the waist and said "Thank you for the candy bag, Doctor!"

Grinning, the Time Lord patted the top of Billy's head. "No problem, Billmeister. Actually that's a rubbish nickname, forget that nickname. Billy the Kid! That's it. You ought to have dressed up like a cowboy" he told Billy, who's attention was somewhere else altogether. "Mum, you gotta see this pumpkin, it's super scary! Come on, you gotta see!" he said excitedly, tugging at his mother's sleeve. "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" she chuckled, and looked at the Doctor. "Thank you for keeping an eye on him, Mr Smith. I'll leave you too alone, then".

The Doctor turned to Anna, looking completely lost. "Mr Smith?" he questioned.

"She asked who you were, so I told her, sort of. Oh, and she also wanted to know how we first met" explained Anna.

"Did…did you tell her?"

"Yes, I told her that I'm really a box and you're an alien, and that we met when you stole me to go travel the universe. She took it pretty well" Anna replied sarcastically. The Doctor gave her a deadpan look and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Then they strode off down the street, eyes peeled for promising bounties of candy.

It wasn't long before they reached the suburbs on the edge of town, having visited at least fifty five different houses, and gathering enough chocolate and sweets to last them all a year. A lot of it, however, was disappearing down the throats of Billy and the Doctor, with all the hyperactive results.

"Hey Anna! Hey Anna! Hey, hey Anna!" the Doctor shouted, jumping up and down on the spot. "_You _have had too many sweets" she told him sternly, but the Doctor just kept jumping up and saying "Hey, hey Anna!"

"What!" she snapped irritably. Her feet were beginning to hurt. The Doctor grinned a chocolate-y grin and yelled at the top of his lungs: "Happy Halloween!" Anna face-palmed, and began to mutter something under her breath; "they'll take after me, they'll take after me, they'll take after me". Marianne was looking around for Billy. "Billy? Where are you? Anna, John, where's Billy?"

The Doctor spun around three hundred and sixty degrees. "There he is!" he announced, pointing at Billy, who at that moment was trundling up towards an ominous looking mansion. "Blimey, whoever lives there sure has a big decoration budget!" Marianne looked horrified. "What? No, nobody lives there! Oh Billy, come back!" she cried, on the verge of hysterics.

Finally realising that Billy was, or soon would be in big trouble, the Doctor sprinted off. "Come on, Marianne!" encouraged Anna, and the two women followed as quickly as they could. Billy was already halfway up the path to the house when the Doctor caught up to him. "Hey, Billy! You shouldn't go off on your own, you know" the Doctor told him, trying to sound disapproving and failing miserably. He made a telling off sound more like a suggestion.

Billy pulled off his mask and began to protest. "But I saw a light in the big house, and I thought someone might have moved in. Only rich people live in big houses, so I bet they'll have lots of candy" he reasoned.

"Nah, rich people never give out candy. They're too snotty. Besides, Billy the Kid, you probably just saw someone's flashlight, or imagined it. C'mon, let's get you back to your mum". He took hold of Billy's hand and steered him away from the house, back down the path.

When they turned back towards town, they found that it had vanished behind a thick wall of fog, which had appeared out of nowhere. "Ah, that's a bit of a problem. Hold my hand, Billy, and whatever you do don't let go" said the Doctor. They edged slowly down the path, keeping their free arms stretched out lest they bump into anything. After five or ten minutes, the Doctor's fingertips brushed against a wooden surface. "See, Billy? We've found a door. I'm sure whoever lives here will let us call your mum and let her know you're fine" he smiled.

He soon found the brass ring that opened the door; that was rather old fashioned for this time period. They stepped inside the darkened house. "Um, hello? We're not burglars, don't worry! We just want to use your phone, we're sort of lost" the Doctor called out tentatively. Candles sparked to life around them, revealing a dusty stone flagged hall. An imposing fireplace rose up against the opposite wall, bare and unlit. A staircase stretched off up into the rest of what was clearly the abandoned mansion.

"Oh dear. This is very not good, we err, seem to have walked in a circle. Easy mistake, what with the fog and all, let's try again" said the Doctor. They tried to get out, only to find the door was locked. "It would be locked, wouldn't it? One day, I'm going to go inside a creepy house, and it won't lock itself up" muttered the Doctor.

Billy sniffed. "Doctor? I'm not having fun anymore, I'm scared" he whimpered. The Doctor knelt down at Billy's eye level, and gave him a reassuring smile. "Billy, it's okay to be scared. It _is_ Halloween after all. This is all probably some big prank, yeah?" he suggested. It was just a teeny white lie. Billy thought about it and nodded bravely. "We'll show them, they'll have to prank us better than this!" he announced, and put on his mask again. "Rawr!"

_Crash! _A tremendous noise echoed from upstairs, making both of them jump in fright. "I think it heard you" muttered the Doctor. If Billy's face was visible it would undoubtedly look confused; "What heard me?" he asked in puzzlement. The Doctor pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his lab coat pocket and began to scan the hallway.

"These readings don't make sense, they're all scrambled. Unless…but that sort of power, in a form like this is incredible! And incredibly dangerous, oh yes, very dangerous. I wonder why they'd lure us in here? You still there, Billy?" he asked, turning around to find the little goblin still standing in the middle of the hall. "Yes, you are! Good, most people I know wander off, they're terrible for it. By the way, can you please take off that costume? It's creeping me out, looks like a baby Draconian".

The little boy fumbled with the zip of his green and scaly costume, wondering what on earth a Draconian was, when he heard an odd creaking noise coming from the ceiling. He looked up at the huge chandelier, with its spiky candle holders. Without warning the chain snapped in twain. Billy screamed as the chandelier came crashing down, too petrified to run out of the way.

The Doctor whipped around in a flash and dived forward, knocking Billy out of the way and tumbling over. He dragged himself and Billy aside mere seconds before the chandelier's spikes embedded themselves in the stone.

His hearts were pounding loudly in his ears. Billy wailed and clung to him in terror, sobbing into his shoulder. "Shh, shh, it's okay son, you're safe. Shh, it's okay. Come here, let me help you out of that costume" the Doctor murmured soothingly. He helped Billy unzip his costume and gave him a tissue to blow his nose. "There, that's better. You can move about now. Why don't we go and see what that crashing noise from before was, eh?"

With a doubtful glance at the ceiling, Billy said "But what if this mean scary thing is up there, and that's what made the candle holder nearly fall on me?" The Doctor stood up and took hold of Billy's hand. "I'll look after you. Trust me, I'm the Doctor".

Billy nodded, but then something occurred to him. It was rather odd. "Um, Doctor?" he began nervously. The Doctor looked down at him with a kind smile. "Yes, Billy?"

"It's just…when you saved my life…oh yeah, I forgot to say thank you. Thank you. But…did you call me 'son'?"

/

_A/N: _Is the Doctor cracking up? Are his memories of being a parent seeping into his unconscious? You be the judge!

I know this is short and rushed, but I wanted to upload it on Halloween.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Twenty Three 

Before Anna or Marianne could catch up with the energetic Time Lord, or her son, a rolling wall of fog obscured the derelict mansion from view. "Billy!" Marianne shouted desperately, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Oh, where did all this fog _come _from? Billy, come back!" There was no reply. Marianne began to march forwards into the whiteness, but Anna reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's no use; we'll never find them in that fog. I have another idea" she insisted, tugging Marianne away. "But Billy…" she protested weakly.

"The Doctor will take care of Billy, I promise. Come on, there's still a way to get to them" said Anna. Marianne peered into the fog one last time, and then reluctantly followed Anna back through the town.

/

"_Did _you say 'son'? I'm sure that's what I heard" Billy said thoughtfully. The Doctor grimaced slightly in embarrassment at his Freudian slip. "Y-yes, I said son. But see, my friend Anna, well, we're sort of _more_ than just friends, and she's going to have a baby, and I guess kids and being a dad have just been on my mind a lot recently" he clarified.

Billy shrugged, deciding that any explanation was better than none. "Mum said my dad went away when I was really little" he informed the Doctor solemnly; and then added quietly, "I'd like it if you were my dad".

The Doctor smiled, and blinked away the tiny tears. A groaning sound floated through the air, like the cries of the un-dead. "Oh, knock it off" the Doctor said, sounding irritated. "I don't know what you are but you sure can't seem to make up your mind, can you? Billy here and I were _leaving _before that fog rolled in. Do I think _you _made the fog? Well, I'm not saying I do, I'm not saying I don't".

"My science teacher said fog is made when warm air comes off the ground" piped up Billy. The Doctor smiled at him and addressed thin air again. "Speaking of Billy the Kid here, I don't really like the fact that you tried to hurt him. In fact it makes me really, very angry. Putting a child in danger, that's a bad move, especially where _I'm _concerned" he announced threateningly.

The space in front of them began to glow with a faint yellow light, and the glow twisted and writhed around in the air. Billy stared at it and then burst out laughing. "That's the mean scary thing? That's not scary at all!" He pulled a face at the bobbing, weaving light. It flashed out of existence and reappeared on the staircase, flickering. "Ha! I scared it off" Billy said proudly.

The Doctor wasn't quite as convinced. "No…I don't think you scared it, Billy. I think it wants us to follow it. See, it's actually a manifestation of light mixed with a mild telepathic beacon…err…I don't suppose you've ever heard of will o' the wisps?" he asked Billy, who was looking very confused. Billy scratched his head in thought and replied "Um…aren't they those little lights that lure people away? There's a story about them in one of my books"

"Bingo! Of course _they _aren't telepathic, but this one is actually sending out a little signal, saying 'follow me!', or words to that effect. You can't pick it up because humans aren't sensitive enough" the Doctor explained. He walked towards the wisp; it vanished and returned a little further up the stairs. "Come on, Billy. Geronimo" he grinned.

They followed the wisp up the staircase, one set of stairs at a time. "Doctor, are you an alien?" Billy asked out of the blue. The Doctor nearly stumbled in his surprise. "I…that is…what makes you ask that?" he spluttered. "Cos you said I couldn't hear what the wisp was saying because I was a human, and it sounded like you meant you weren't human so you could hear it" explained Billy.

The Doctor marvelled at the little boy's deductive skills. "You know what? You are _good_. Yes, actually, I am an alien. I'm a Time Lord" he admitted. Billy's eyes went wide in awe.

Just then the wisp, or telepathic light what-have-you, flickered one more time and then vanished altogether. It had led them to an unadorned door, behind which an ominous light was glowing. The Doctor squeezed Billy's hand to reassure him, and then turned the door handle.

/

It seemed like too long a time before they reached Marianne's street, with the police box sitting incongruously on the corner. When Anna walked up to it, she lowered the perception filter somewhat, allowing Marianne to see it properly. "What's that? A police public call box…oh yes, good idea! Why didn't I think of calling the police?" she chided herself.

"Actually I wasn't going to call anyone, this is just a shortcut" Anna said vaguely. "Shortcut? Look, I don't know what you're playing at but my son's lost out there, and I have to go and look for him, fog or no fog!" Marianne insisted, just a touch hysterically.

Anna placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soothing tone. "Marianne, please, I know you're upset, but you have to trust me. I know what I'm doing. You'd do anything to help your son, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, what mother wouldn't?"

"You'd even go into a time machine for him"

"Yes, I- wait, time machine?" The tone of Marianne's voice shifted from indignant to plain bewildered. Anna smiled and snapped her fingers; the door of the police box opened, revealing the warm orange light inside. Smiling, she gestured for Marianne to enter. Marianne was doubtful and confused, but she cautiously took a few steps into the TARDIS. Then a few steps more.

She was at the top of the ramp before it fully sank in. "It's…it's bigger, on the inside!" she exclaimed, clutching at her chest as if she was about to faint. _That would be a first_, Anna thought drily. "Welcome to my TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. I'd advise you to find a handhold" she added. Marianne had snapped out of her shock somewhat, and managed to register the last three words at least. She quickly grasped a nearby railing.

If Anna had not been five months pregnant, she would have probably shown off the way her Thief so liked to do, but instead she was forced to take off slowly. She put on the stabilizers, which considerably lessened the shaking about, but she left the brake on as well. After all, the Doctor had to have some way of knowing they were coming.

/

The room that they entered was wide and empty. A thick layer of dust on the wooden floorboards muffled their footsteps and set Billy coughing. At the far end of the room sat a cracked and faded armchair, on which floated a glowing red orb, looking for all intents and purposes as if it was sitting there.

"Hello?" the Doctor said cautiously. The light flared as if in anger and Billy stumbled behind the Doctor's legs in fright. "Who are you?" asked the Time Lord, or rather demanded.

"_I will be all powerful" _the orb said in an ear grating voice. The Doctor rolled his eyes and looked down at Billy. "You okay?" he murmured. Billy swallowed hard and nodded. "What does it mean, it's going to be all powerful?" he questioned.

The Doctor turned back to the nameless glow. "That is a very good question, and whilst we're on the subject of very good questions you still haven't answered my first one. So I'll ask you again, who are you and what are you planning to do?" The glow flared again, but without the same effect. "_My name was Clvashantaa, Eighteenth Lord of the Lezacrim, bane of the Fulsian Empire!" _it rasped.

Raising an eyebrow, the Doctor said "Oh I see, you used to have a physical form, you weren't always a big glow-y blobby thing. And I'm guessing this whole _'_all powerful' stuff is an attempt to recreate your real body. Mind you, if I were you I wouldn't be missing much, the Lezacrim were one ugly bunch". Clvashantaa roared with fury, making the Doctor and Billy retreat several steps. "OK, OK, perhaps that _was _uncalled for!" the Doctor admitted.

"_Your guess is wrong, I have no wish to return to my limited body, not when I have such power in this one. But I must have more if I am to conquer this primitive world. Let the traitors of Fulsia have their Empire, I will create MY OWN!" _ he practically screamed the last words, and Billy clamped his hands over his ears.

Slowly, the Doctor took Billy's hand and began to edge towards the door. "OK. I understand. Really, you've told me all I need to know. Billy? Run!"

They dashed out of the room and down the long corridor as Clvashantaa blazed with hell red light, howling a banshee howl. Billy began to lag behind, his shorter legs struggling to keep up with the Doctor's long strides. The Doctor scooped Billy up and carried him, straight through the first open door they came across. He slammed the door shut with a foot and leaned against it.

"That…was close…too close" the Doctor panted, as he set Billy back down on his feet. "I don't get it. What was that glowing thing?" asked Billy.

"Err, that was a Lezacrim. Well, technically it was the psychic and energetic imprint of a mean, ugly – imagine a deep sea fish crossed with an Aztec mask, with six arms and a spiked tail" he explained, only to receive a look of complete and utter bafflement. "I don't know about Aztecs!" protested Billy. "I can't even remember when the First World War started!"

Just then, they both heard a loud whooshing sound. Spooked, Billy hid behind the Doctor's legs again, but he laughed and said "It's okay, Billy! It's just my ride". The blue police box morphed into view, coming to rest with a finalised clunk. The Doctor ushered Billy forwards and snapped his fingers; the doors swung open in a very welcoming way.

Billy stepped into the TARDIS and gasped aloud at the sight of it. "Billy!" his mother cried in relief, hurrying forward to embrace him. The Doctor ran up to Anna and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you too" she chuckled, gently pushing him aside.

"This place is so cool! What's it called?" asked Billy, staring around him in wonder and delight. The Doctor grinned; seeing someone see the TARDIS for the first time, it never got old. "This is Anna's time machine, darling. It's called the TARDIS" his mother informed him. She looked rather pleased to have remembered. "Your TARDIS is cool, Miss Anna!" crowed Billy, and Anna thanked him, smiling.

The Doctor's grin disappeared when Billy rushed over to the steps, Marianne following in his wake. "Your TARDIS?" he hissed at Anna.

"Yes, my TARDIS" she replied.

"But you _are _the TARDIS" he whispered back.

"Which makes this _my TARDIS_" she said finally, and gave him a look that clearly advised him to drop the subject. He snapped himself back into focus and said "A Lezacrim is hanging on in the form of pure energy in this very mansion. Egomaniacal, in need of anger management and about to take over the planet." As he spoke, he moved around the TARDIS console to set them into flight. His hand hovered uncertainly over the blue boring…stabilizers, but then he pressed them.

"Take over how exactly?" asked Anna, as she helped him pilot her; okay, _their _time machine through the Vortex. "I don't know" admitted the Doctor, "but I do have a plan". Marianne and Billy came up from the lower deck. "Doctor, how are we gonna stop the bad guy?" asked Billy.

The Doctor replied "Okay, here's the first part of my plan. We're going forward in time a little bit to find out _his _plan". Anna, Marianne and Billy all stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "And then, you know, improvise".

Anna face-palmed.

They materialised above Marianne and Billy's home town, suspended in the air. The Doctor opened the doors and they peered out to find chaos. Aliens were appearing all over the place, terrorizing the helpless townspeople. There were plasmavores, lupine haemovariaforms, the Doctor even thought he saw a Carrionite. He shut the door quickly and strode back to the console, mind racing.

Marianne was horrified. "Where did all those monsters come from? I know its Halloween but this is just too much" she wailed, hugging Billy close to her.

"I'm scanning the entire mansion, and there's a looped feedback teleport signal emanating from the attic that's been transporting these species to Earth, but I can't shut it down from here, it'll have to be done manually" Anna informed the Doctor, who was looking angrier by the second. "Fine!" he snapped, "land us there and I'll take care of it!" Anna knew why he was so angry; people had probably died by now and he blamed himself, for not coming up with a better plan.

"How far forwards did we time travel?" asked Billy.

"Oh, I don't know, about five hours" the Doctor answered, and Billy went on, "so can't we just go back to five hours ago in the house and stop that what's-his-name before he signal teleports all the alien monsters?"

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Billy in disbelief. "How could I have been so…Billy, you are a _genius_!" he shouted, running over and swinging the boy into the air for sheer joy. Anna hid a smile as she dematerialised backwards through time, having already materialised in space. It was just a matter of hopping through the Time Vortex to the right moment.

They landed with a slight jolt. The Doctor put Billy back down on the floor and warned him and Marianne with a stern look, not to follow him. With Anna close behind, he walked out to save the world.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

Sorry for the wait, I've been busy and had writers block and…stuff. I apologise, but updates may well be few and far between for a while.

Chapter Twenty Four 

Their sonic screwdrivers at the ready, they stepped out into the room. It was large, gloomy and… utterly empty. "Erm, Anna, darling? I thought you said"- the Doctor cut off his sentence, or rather Anna cut it off for him with a glare. "It's cloaked" she sighed heavily, raising her sonic. The blue and white device whirred and the machine shimmered into view. The Lezacrim energy ball was at the controls, manipulating them through telekinesis.

The Doctor quickly used his sonic on the lights, making them flicker as a diversion, which worked perfectly well until they shorted out. Now the only light sources were their sonic screwdrivers, and the glowing, very angry ball of energy that had spun…somehow…to face them. It was difficult to tell considering the lack of a discernible face. "_You again! I should have destroyed you when I had the chance. Now you will burn!_" the Lezacrim howled.

A bolt of energy shot out of the orb, lancing towards the Doctor, who had the sense to duck. The beam ricocheted around the room, and all the Doctor and Anna could do was crouch down and keep their arms over their heads. The beam veered off the wall again and struck the light on top of the TARDIS. Anna glared furiously at the Lezacrim, and if concentrations of pure, malicious energy could look sheepish, this particular one would be quaking.

Stony faced, Anna raised her sonic screwdriver and glanced at the Doctor, in a gesture for him to do the same. One sonic wouldn't be enough to disrupt the telekinetic and electrical forces that held the Lezacrim together, but two of them together, and the blood red orb quivered, shook violently, and finally imploded with a howl.

"Of all the…just changed it…ages to replace" Anna muttered irritably, eyeing the shattered lantern with a scowl on her face. Marianne peered cautiously around the door and Anna hastily recomposed herself. "Is everything…okay? We heard…well it sounded like gunfire" she explained nervously. Anna smiled and shook her head. "No, there's nothing to worry about, really" she replied.

At that moment the Doctor, over by the controls, gave a groan of frustration. "Isomorphic controls; why does everything have to be isomorphic these days? Oh, oh no that's bad, he's already started the signal and I can't…There's got to be some kind of override system on this thing, come on…Anna? Look out the window, check how much time we have before the baddies start appearing".

Anna gave a nervous chuckle at the look of alarm on Marianne's face. "Err, well, there may be _something_ to worry about" she admitted, before walking over to the arched window and peering past the heavy, dust covered curtain. At first all appeared quiet; then first one, and then another shooting star streaked down from the black sky. At least, it would be better if they _were _shooting stars.

"We have company" Anna said grimly, before striding over to help the Doctor with the controls. "What's going on?" asked Billy, ducking between his mother's legs and running up to the Doctor.

Running an agitated hand through his hair, the Doctor removed one of the panels and began to fiddle with the wiring. "These controls can only be used by that energy thingy, and Anna and I sort of just destroyed it, but we didn't know we needed it at the time. If I can just reconnect these wires I should be able to..." his next words became muffled as he held his sonic in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Anna was peering with difficulty between the machine and the wall. "Billy? Come here a moment, please, and see if you can see anything behind here" she asked. Billy came over and peered through the gap, with Anna's sonic screwdriver providing light. "Uh, there's a lot of dust – yuck, and some dead flies…oh, and a plug too".

The Doctor spat out his sonic screwdriver and exclaimed "There's a _what!?" _

"Pull it out, quickly!" urged Anna. Billy crouched down and stretched his arm into the narrow gap… "I can't reach".

The Doctor came around and reached his arm in, and eased the plug out of the socket. With a whirr, the machine shut down and the room became even darker than before as the lights all over it switched off. Anna and the Doctor smiled at each other in relief…until the floor started shaking.

"What's happening?" cried Billy. "Emergency failsafe" muttered the Doctor, and then he shouted "run!"

Once they were safely inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and Anna dematerialised, and the four of them watched the mansion collapse into rubble. "The whole building was set to collapse if the Lezacrim's plans were foiled; since the machine was in the attic, there wouldn't have been enough time for anyone to run down to the front door and escape" the Time Lord explained.

"Unless they had a conveniently placed time machine" chuckled Anna. The Doctor grinned and tapped her fondly on the nose. "There is that. The good news is that shutting down the machine will have made time spring back to normal, and now none of the creatures it summoned ever even received a signal. The bad news is Billy's costume is now buried under a pile of bricks. Sorry about that".

"I don't care about that! Besides, I saved the sweets" said Billy, picking up the paper bag. "This was the best Halloween ever! Can you come again next year?" he asked the Doctor eagerly. The Doctor grinned and gestured to the room at large, spreading his arms wide. "We're in a _time machine_, Billy. A year for you could be five minutes for us".

Anna cheekily added "If you're driving it's likely to be five years, not minutes. Or even fifteen years. I'm sure we'll see you again one day, Billy, but right now I think your mum's ready to go home". Marianne gave Anna a grateful smile.

"Can I see your baby, when it's born?" asked Billy, and Anna nodded with a smile. Marianne looked surprised, and beamed at Anna. "You're having a baby? That's wonderful, congratulations!" she enthused, before turning the Doctor and adding, "I can't thank you enough for taking care of my Billy for me. I dread to think what could have happened to him if you hadn't been there. The baby will be lucky to have a daddy like you".

The Doctor blushed sheepishly and turned to Billy, crouching down to give the boy a goodbye hug. "Do you promise to come again next year?" asked Billy, and the Doctor nodded, drawing an X over his two hearts and winking at Billy, who grinned. The TARDIS landed back on the Beech's street, right on the corner as if it had never left. "Hey, Billy? Make sure you get a cowboy costume for next year, okay?"

Billy turned around and pressed his fingers together like a pistol. "Bang!" he shouted, and the Doctor clutched at his stomach as if he'd been shot. Then both boys burst out laughing. Marianne waved to Anna, and ushered her giggling son out of the time machine. They turned and watched the TARDIS fade away, then walked down the street to their house, Billy talking animatedly about all the things he wanted to do next Halloween with the Doctor and Anna.

Meanwhile, the TARDIS floated in space as its inhabitants smiled tenderly at one another. "Now we can get to my favourite part about Halloween" smiled the Doctor, producing a bag full of sweets and chocolate from his bottomless pockets. Anna rolled her eyes. "Your favourite part _would _be eating the sweets" she said fondly, but the Doctor shook his head. "Nope, sharing them" he corrected, pulling out a packet of sweets. Anna laughed when she saw what was in them – jelly bananas.

Later, Anna regretted sharing so many sweets. She groaned slightly as another wave of nausea hit. "Oh darling, can't you just let mummy be?"

"Never!" squeaked the Doctor, who had come into the bathroom. He attempted to look as if he hadn't said a word. Anna smiled in spite of her morning sickness. "Talking for the baby now, are you?" she quipped. The Doctor walked over and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, placed his right palm on her stomach and rested his forehead on hers. "We ought to think of a name for him. We can't call him 'the baby' forever, after all. Well, actually we could but, you know, the Doctor, the TARDIS and the Baby, it doesn't really work".

"Hmm, perhaps we should give _her _a name. But before that, maybe we should find out whether our little one is a boy or a girl" suggested Anna. The Doctor pouted slightly. "Oh, but that would spoil the surprise! No, we'll just have to decide on a boy name and a girl name and give one of them to the baby when they're born" he decided. "Oh, and I just remembered, come with me!"

The Doctor led Anna back to the console room and told her to step outside. Bemused, she did so, finding herself on a cliff top path. "I don't understand" she said at first, turning back to the Doctor, who was looking up. She followed his gaze and gave a gasp of surprise at the sight of the lantern, fixed and totally un-shattered. "Oh, my beautiful Thief. You're wonderful" she smiled happily.

They sat on a nearby bench, and cuddled close against the blustering wind. "So, baby names. How about William?" the Doctor suggested brightly. "We could call her Mary, or Anne" Anna joked, not that the Doctor noticed. "Not Anne, that's too much like Anna, I'd get confused. Ooh, I know! Alonso!"

Anna shook her head. "We're not naming the baby Alonso. Or Jack" she added, cutting off the Doctor's next suggestion before he'd even uttered it. "Yeah, you're right. Calling our son Jack _would_ be kind of…anyway, how about Rory? You like the bigger version, don't you?" he asked Anna, who nodded. "It's just, I don't want to name the baby after someone we know. She or he will be extremely special, they need a special name" she explained.

"Hmm, good point". They both sat silently for a few minutes, thinking. "Ah! What about Jason? It comes from the Greek word for healer" explained the Doctor, and Anna smiled. "That will be perfect, Thief – if the baby turns out to be a boy. If it's a girl, I'd like to name her…Hope".

"Okay, then its settled. Jason or Hope it is" the Doctor said decisively. Anna rested her head against his and closed her eyes, holding his left hand in both of hers as his right snaked around her shoulders. "My Doctor" she murmured happily.

The Doctor turned his head and pressed a kiss to hers. "My TARDIS".

/

Choosing a name; well, two names for their child seemed to galvanise the Doctor. He came into the library flushed with excitement, practically bouncing on his toes. "What's got you so excited?" asked Anna, as she bookmarked her place and set the novel aside. The Doctor hauled her to her feet and said excitedly "come and see!"

With a sigh, Anna allowed the Doctor to lead her out of the library and down the corridor. They arrived at a door with the Gallifreyan word for 'nursery' carved in gold. Anna raised her eyebrows. "You've made a nursery already?" she asked, stepping into the room.

The floor was covered in newspaper, and the newspaper was covered in shopping bags, all piled up in the centre of the room. "Well no, I haven't made the nursery yet but I will, right now, because when we were talking about what to name the baby and before when we helped Marianne and Billy, it just hit me all of a sudden that it's been _five months_. Five months! That means we only have four months before you…err…before the baby comes and I figured I should start getting ready because I don't want to be unprepared for this because it's such a big deal and look!" he rambled, holding up a tin full of paint.

"Paint?" questioned Anna.

"_Orange_ paint! And I've got red and silver paint too, we can paint it all like Gallifrey!" he announced eagerly. Anna beamed at him and walked over. She stooped down to pick up a brush and said "Come on, Thief. We have a nursery to paint".

The Doctor placed the orange paint on a stool and pulled off the top, then moved the crimson coloured paint to the other side of the wall and began flicking his paintbrush in grass like strokes. Anna dipped her larger, thicker brush in the orange paint and began to swathe it over the wall's smooth surface. They both edged their way towards door in the middle, and stepped around each other to continue on the other side.

Anna used a thinner brush to sketch out a dome, and the trunk of a tree; then the Doctor painted in the Capitol nestled in the arms of the mountain range, and a silver leafed tree curving up the wall and onto the ceiling in the foreground. These trees he painted on the other three walls, turning the room into a secretive silvery glade, with a gap that looked out towards the rolling crimson hills.

That, at least, was the impression; though it was dampened somewhat by the crumpled newspaper and plastic bags. Upon investigating their contents, Anna discovered that the Doctor had gathered everything they could possibly need for the baby. Not just toys and picture books either, but practical domestic items. "Who are you, and where are you keeping my Doctor?" she asked him teasingly.

Once they'd cleared the shopping and newspapers aside, the Doctor and Anna rolled out a fluffy red carpet, perfect for crawling and rolling around on. How he'd managed to find one the precise same shade as the paint, she'd never work out. Then came the little wardrobe in which they stored the baby's clothes, and a rocking chair next to the drawers packed with toys and nappies and empty bottles, and a little shelf of picture-books.

For the final touch, Anna concentrated hard, and the Doctor's worn crib appeared, it's spangling mobile sparkling in the light. The Doctor had stolen the crib from his family house during the War, wanting a reminder of more innocent times. He'd barely been able to bring himself to look at it afterwards, knowing he had saved the cot, but not anyone who'd ever lain in it. Soon it would have a new, little occupant.

It took them several hours, but the room was finally finished, all except for… "Oh, great. We forgot to paint the ceiling" sighed the Doctor. Anna merely snapped her fingers, and the ceiling became translucent, before morphing into a replica of a Gallifreyan night sky. The Doctor stared up in wonder at the familiar constellations. "Oh, this is _brilliant!" _he grinned happily, pulling Anna into a kiss.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter Twenty Five 

There were many less than pleasant aspects of bearing a child. The nausea, the aches, the fogginess in her head, and the need for more sleep. It wasn't actually the need for sleep that bothered Anna, it was what happened during her slumber. She'd been having nightmares.

Her usual dreams were a chaotic mixture of past, present and future, as her mind relaxed its barriers and her natural abilities came to the fore. Anyone else would have found such vague and bizarre dreams confusing, even alarming, but Anna was soothed by them. These nightmares were different. They were much more vivid, as if she were experiencing the horrors all over again, and they were all based on events that had either happened and then never happened, or happened in a different way altogether.

At first, she had dismissed them as the result of stress. They couldn't harm her, after all, and she could always tell the Doctor if they continued. For a while after she had decided on this course of action, the nightmares stopped; or so she thought.

Then one day, Anna awoke from a terrifying nightmare about the Year That Never Was, her hearts pounding, her skin crawling. She tore off the stifling covers and groped for the light switch, grounding herself in the sight of her as always cluttered bedroom. Anna could still feel the constricting metal cage closing in around her, trapping her helplessly in the depths of a red, roaring, soulless waste of a machine.

But the worst part of the nightmare wasn't being cannibalised, or being forced to tear apart time itself; the most horrible thing was that instead of the Master subjecting her to such torture, it had been her beloved Doctor.

"He would never do that" she told herself, breathing hard. "It was just a nightmare, just stress. I'm six months pregnant, after all" she sighed, rubbing her stomach. Remembering her promise to herself, Anna gingerly got out of bed and pulled on a fluffy, TARDIS blue dressing gown. It was time to tell the Doctor.

Anna didn't expect the Doctor himself to be asleep when she came into the console room, but there he was, curled up on the jump seat. She chuckled softly when she saw that he grasped the circuit board he'd been working on like a favourite toy, clutching it close to his chest. Anna moved towards him.

Suddenly, the Doctor jerked as if he had been hit, and Anna jumped as well. "Yes…it's ready! It's finally ready!" he laughed, flinging his arms out to his sides as if he were celebrating, but there was something in his voice and his movements that told her this was not a happy dream. Anna had seen more than enough. She strode over in determination and seized the Doctor's flailing wrists, pinning them down. "Thief, wake up. You're having a nightmare!" she told him urgently.

The Doctor only snarled and struggled against her, but Anna did not release her grasp. If he kept thrashing about like this he could hurt her, or worse, hurt himself. At last he fell limp, a sinister smile plastered over his face. Anna felt shaken, because she'd seen that cruel smirk before. "Hush, my love…my Doctor…it's time to wake up now. That's it, wake up" she murmured encouragingly, stroking his hair.

He opened his eyes with a sigh. "Anna?" he murmured in confusion, looking up at her relieved, but nervous face. "I'm here, it's okay" she said comfortingly, standing back to let him sit up. "I...something was holding me down…What happened? Did I fall asleep?" he asked, disoriented.

"I'm afraid you did more than fall asleep, Thief. You were having a nightmare, and struggling against something. I was the one holding you down; I'm sorry if it scared you, I just wanted to stop you from harming yourself" explained Anna. The Doctor rubbed his eyes and tried to remember what he'd forgotten…oh, yes. "Weren't you asleep? I didn't wake you up, did I?" he asked worriedly.

Anna shook her head. "I was actually coming to tell you that I had a nightmare, as well" she admitted, adding "but I'm sure it's just stress", because the Doctor looked alarmed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, and Anna raised an eyebrow. "If I tell you about my nightmare, do you promise to tell me about yours?" she asked.

"Yes" the Doctor replied obediently.

With a deep breath Anna described her nightmare. "Then the Master took off his welding mask and…and it wasn't the Master at all, it was you" she explained.

The Doctor looked ill. "This is strange, bad strange. Not strange as in 'you're having nightmares' strange; it's just strange because…I had the same nightmare. Or rather, the next part of your nightmare…I dreamed that I'd gone mad, really properly mad, and I had turned you into a Paradox Machine, to bring back the Time Lords. But I wouldn't! I swear I would never hurt you, even if I did go off the deep end, which I really hope I won't because I rather like being reasonably sane!"

Anna placed her hands on the Doctor's shoulders and smiled at him. "Deep breaths, Doctor. Though it is odd that we had some sort of shared dream; perhaps our bond is closer than we thought" she smiled, moving her hands to the back of the Doctor's neck and drawing him in for a kiss. He grinned as they came apart. "Well, we have had seven hundred odd years to get close…though I still find it a bit annoying that you know more about me than I do about you" he grumbled.

"What do you mean?" asked Anna, "we know everything about one another".

"Oh yeah? What was my favourite ice cream flavour in my…fifth incarnation?"

"Strawberry"

"What's my favourite colour right now?"

"Orange, and I can't imagine why"

"I don't know what you're talking about. How old am I? Wait, no, no on second thoughts don't answer that" he added hurriedly. Anna raised an eyebrow. "So, your point is…?"

"My point is that _I _don't know what _your _favourite ice cream or colour or…_idiom_ is, or how old you are! Granted you'll probably never tell me that last bit, but still!"

"Well, that's easy. My favourite ice cream flavour is bubble gum and my favourite colour is TARDIS blue, naturally. And actually I don't know what _your _favourite idiom is, but in case you were wondering mine is 'out of the blue'. Get it? Like 'out of the blue box?"

The Doctor faked laughed. "So basically all your favourite things are blue. Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas – anything, as long as it's _blue_" he deadpanned.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, very funny. Can I go back to bed now?"

Before the Doctor could think of a witty answer, he felt a sharp jab in his side and his mind, courtesy of the psychic paper. Tugging it out, he flipped the wallet open to reveal one word written in familiar cursive handwriting: _Falling. _This was followed by a series of co-ordinates.

Without stopping to wonder how River had found the time to write her message down whilst_ plummeting_ to the ground, the Doctor rushed to the console and dematerialised as quickly as he could. Anna helped by telepathically moving the controls that the Doctor couldn't reach, and it wasn't long before they materialised on the side of a stone building. The Doctor ran over to the doors, pulled them both open, and moments later River careened into his arms.

River's head reeled from the sudden shift in gravity, and it took her a moment to register that she hadn't fallen into the TARDIS pool as she'd been expecting. "Err, River? You're crushing my ribs" squeaked her husband – ex-husband, River reminded herself sharply. She stood up and wiped her dress down with her palms.

The Doctor saw a mixture of relief, sadness and pain flick across River's face in the split second their eyes met; then her gaze shifted to a spot over his shoulder and her face became a smiling mask. It was like staring at a brick wall. "At least my dress isn't soaked through, I suppose that's one good thing" she said a little too cheerfully, adding as if it were an afterthought, "thank you, sweetie"

"You're welcome" he replied, a little taken aback at her use of his old pet name.

"Anna! You regenerated, I see" she commented politely. "Yes, two months ago" Anna replied, looking River right in the eye. "It's nice to see you again, River" she said sweetly.

River smiled, although it looked more like she wanted to snarl. "Likewise. How's the baby? Figured out what the gender will be, yet?" she questioned. The Doctor interrupted; "We don't know yet, we want it to be a surprise. We've thought of names though. Jason if it's a boy, and Hope if it's a girl" he explained.

For a moment River's gaze softened. "Those are lovely names…but I'm not really here to discuss that, if you don't mind. No, actually I came here to ask for your help, Doctor" she explained.

"With what?" he asked, and River pulled out a roll of parchment from some hidden pocket on her dress. "These papers reportedly have clues to the location of an ancient civilisation on the planet Maya, that disappeared four thousand years ago. According to legends, the thinkers of ancient Mayan civilisation built a rudimentary space ship and left when they realised their civilisation was crumbling, ended up on Maya, and then vanished all over again" she explained.

The Doctor peered at the arcane symbols and inquired "so why do you want my help? This seems like something you can handle on your own" he said. He'd meant it as a compliment, but to River it was a sting. "I can" she said swiftly, "and I _would_ go on my own, but the prison warden sent me on this mission with a literal armada to go along with me. I ditched them all somewhere in Tokyo, but I thought I'd be a good girl and get myself the _equivalent_ of an armada" she said flirtatiously.

The Doctor handed the parchment back to her and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "It does sound interesting" he conceded, scratching his cheek. "Can Anna come too?"

"Oh, it's really too dangerous for someone with an unborn child. There'll probably be lots of running, you wouldn't be able to keep up" she explained to Anna, her voice filled with fake sympathy.

"It's nice that you're so concerned about your niece, River. Or nephew, I suppose" replied Anna. She understood why River would be upset with her, but that didn't mean she had to sit back and take it. River was old enough to know better.

The Doctor, who was completely oblivious to the slights either woman was making, said awkwardly, "Err, yes, perhaps it'd be better if you stayed here, Anna. I'll be home soon, I promise". He kissed her and tried to ignore River's eyes boring into the back of his head. "Lead the way, Dr Song". He gave her a salute and she winked at him in return, before nodding at Anna.

After they'd left, Anna locked the door behind them, setting it to unlock automatically at the Doctor's or River's approach, and wondered what to do. She felt an odd flutter that could have been the baby kicking, and smiled. "What are you trying to tell me, darling?" she asked the unborn baby. The baby seemed to kick again, somewhere on her left side. The corridor to her left led to the kitchens, bedrooms, and the library. "You want me to read you a bedtime story, hey?"

Taking the slight lilt in the baby's telepathic song, Anna headed for the library. She settled down with her novel and began to read aloud, absent-mindedly rubbing her stomach at the same time. Well, she might as well encourage a love of literature from an early age.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been very busy writing essays, and then I had writer's block for a few days. Thank you for your patience!

Chapter Twenty Six 

The depths of the South American rainforest were steaming in the tropical sunlight, buzzing with the endless calls of numerous insects, and awash with the musty scent of wet bark. There had been a deluge recently, and the Doctor found himself skidding on the smooth stones of the Mayan temple ruins more than once.

"So, what exactly is it we're looking for?" he asked River, shifting aside some roots to peer at a rough engraving in the stone. She pulled out the parchment again and replied "My research suggests that the carvings on this temple form a detailed record of the last days of the Mayan Empire. I want to translate them, and find symbols that match up to these ones".

After thousands of years, the chiselled stone had been weathered and worn, until the carvings were barely recognisable. The Doctor watched River chip away at an outline of a barely visible symbol, her face blank and set in concentration. He had to admit he admired her dedication, even if he didn't think much of archaeology. River blew away the dust and glanced at the Doctor, giving him a smile. On impulse, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

The Doctor abruptly stood up and walked over to another collapsed wall, scanning the ruins with his sonic screwdriver. River sighed in disappointment.

Half an hour later, and they had only translated tiny parts of the unreadable hieroglyphs. A sweaty and irritable River slumped under the shade of a tree and pulled out her water flask, taking a deep gulp. "Sweetie, have a drink. You'll get dehydrated" she told the Doctor, waving the bottle at him. The Doctor however, was engrossed in clearing the vines off a flat stone in the middle of the courtyard. As he pulled the last one away, the symbols upon it seemed very familiar.

"River, come here, let me see that parchment again". River got to her feet and walked over, pulling the parchment out of her pocket and handing it to the Doctor. He unfolded it and spread it carefully out on the stone, and then began to trace out the carvings. Apart from a few missing letters, they matched up perfectly. "I think we've found our spot" he smiled at her. She smiled happily back.

All that remained was to figure out what to do next. On a whim, the Doctor stepped up onto the stone platform and began to read the words on the parchment aloud. The stone trembled thunderously and began to sink into the earth. River quickly stepped onto the stone as it carried them downwards. "I never knew the Mayans were so ingenious" she commented.

"This wasn't the Mayans" the Doctor said gravely, switching his sonic to a torch setting. "They didn't have the materials or technology to build a spaceship; this has got to be the work of aliens" he insisted.

River gave him an appraising glance. "You must be enjoying yourself then" she murmured sweetly. The Doctor grinned. "Isn't it great? I'll bet you're loving this, little miss archaeologist; I mean, this changes _everything" _he said vehemently. The stone platform came to a stop, and they found themselves in a large cavern hollowed out of the earth.

Pieces of high tech, but powerless and rusting equipment stood forlorn and dusty against the walls. "Could use a spring clean" commented the Doctor. River pulled out her scanner. "No life signs; no one's probably been down here for centuries. Where could all this stuff have come from?" she questioned.

The Doctor studied the generators and computer screens. "It looks like twentieth century computer technology on Earth, but it's been here for" – he wiped a finger over the top of one piece of machinery and then licked it, much to River's disgust. "At least three thousand years. Let me see, what species had space travel during this time on Earth, assuming they crashed here…but they might have settled, mixed with the locals. Come on Doctor, think, think, think" he said, jabbing himself in the forehead. "Doctor" said River, but he wasn't listening

"The Pomestoranians had space travel then, but they're not humanoid" –

"Doctor, look"-

"And the Zaal _are _humanoid, but they won't get space travel for" –

"Would you just?"-

"about six hundred years. They weren't even evolved during the height of the Mayan"-

"Doctor!" shouted River. The Doctor stopped rambling and stared at her. "What is it, River? You don't have to shout, I'm right here you know".

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, River pointed at a screen. "Let's just see if there's a record" she said simply.

"River, these computers been broken down for centuries, it's utterly impossible for there to be any power or data left on them" the Doctor told her.

"I love it when you say impossible. Funny thing is, all I hear is _possible_" she replied flirtatiously. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Has your hearing always been selective? Like when someone says 'Don't jump off the very tall building', can you not hear the first word?" he asked sarcastically.

"If you're talking about earlier, I slipped. Besides, what's the problem if I did? You still caught me" she said innocently, sidling up to him. The Doctor took her scanner from her hands and plugged it into the computer. "Of course, what sort of friend would I be if I didn't?" he said casually, and added "You'd do the same for me after all".

River laid a hand on the Doctor's shoulder and pulled him around to face her. "You know I'd do anything for you, sweetie; and look at us, down here in this cave, all alone…no one to bother us" she said sultrily as she pulled him into a deep kiss.

The Doctor pulled away and swallowed hard, straightening his bowtie. "What are you doing?" he asked in alarm. River couldn't decide whether to kiss him again or slap him. "You infuriating…oh, I can't take it anymore. I'm just going to say it; Doctor, I want to marry you again".

Fiddling nervously with his bowtie, the Doctor shuffled out of River's reach a little more. "M-marry? No, uh-uh, that's not a good idea" he said, shaking his head.

"Why not? What do you think Anna would do, kick you out of the TARDIS? Or should that be out of herself?"

"Who said this had anything to do with Anna?"

"Well, sweetie, she _is _the woman who's replaced me"

"Leave her out of this, it has _nothing _to do with her. She hasn't replaced you at all, you left. River, _you _divorced _me" _

"Don't you dare talk to me in that tone. Tell me, Doctor, if Anna's not the reason you don't want to marry me again, then what is? Perhaps I'm ugly"

"Don't be daft, you're not ugly"

"It must be because I'm getting too old"

"You're not old either. Well, not _that _old anyway –ow!"

"Well then! Okay, is it because you didn't want to marry me in the first place? You only married me to save the universe, is that it? Because the universe isn't collapsing now"

"That doesn't mean I'm going to marry you"

"Then give me a reason why!"

"I can't!"

"Why won't you marry me? That's all I want to know!"

"Spoilers!"

"I'm starting to bloody hate that word"

"Yeah, well so am I!"

"Forget that damned rule and just tell me!"

"No!"

"_Tell me!" _

"YOU DIED!", the Doctor roared angrily, right into River's shocked face. He stalked away to the other side of the cavern, shoulders tense and fingers clenched into fists. "I saw you die" he said in a choked voice. "I'm sick of people dying for me. And I'm a coward River, so I did what I always do, I ran. But then you had to be…you had to be _you_. You're the Ponds daughter and you saved me even though you'd been raised to think I was dangerous, you cared more about me than the whole universe…"

He took a deep breath and continued, "I'm sorry. I can't marry you again. I just can't. I'm too selfish and you deserve better. Anna and this child might be my one chance to start over and get things right, be happy". The Doctor stood with his palms pressed to the wall, head bowed.

River bit her lip and turned back to the still dormant computer. She regretted riling him up so much; she should have dropped the subject the moment he uttered that dread word, spoilers. Putting thoughts of her apparently inevitable demise out of her head, River began to finish what the Doctor started.

He raised his head at the sound of the computer warming up, and turned around. River smiled at him and winked. "Told you it was possible".

The Doctor gave her a small smile, and walked over. River pulled up the log, and a human appeared on the screen.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue

Chapter Twenty Seven 

"S.S Excelsior, date number 14.3.5022, time 18:00 hours. We are fast approaching our destination, the planet Terra Firma, located in the outer fringes of Mutter's Spiral. With Devin lost to the black hole, our survival lies in settling on this planet. We can only hope that the human like creatures there will accept us as their own" said the man on the screen. It then faded to black.

The Doctor now understood the situation a whole lot better. "Devin was a planet roughly the same size as Earth, only wetter with a climate much like that of the Amazon. It had two suns; one of them was very old and collapsed into a black hole. The humans who had settled there realised the threat and evacuated the planet…some of them refused to go". River could tell by his tone that he'd tried to persuade those people to abandon their home in order to save their own lives, and failed.

The man, who was presumably the captain of SS Excelsior, reappeared on screen. "Starship Excelsior, date number 7.5.5022, time 15:00 hours. The temporal physicists have made an error in their calculations of the optimum point in Terra Firma development for us to appear. The time tunnel created by our warp drives has transported us to a primitive period of Terra Firma history. To attempt to create another tunnel and move ahead to the correct time period will be extremely dangerous, but not impossible".

Once again, the short log finished and the screen faded to black. "Okay, let me see. Devin was populated with humans, who seem to have forgotten they originally came from Earth, or Terra Firma as they're calling it, and they tried to return to Earth only to become stranded in 2000 BC or thereabouts" River explained to herself aloud.

"That's it in a nutshell. Oh, the Captain's back" said the Doctor; as yet another log was played. After the usual introduction, the Captain said "We have made contact with humans, who we now have reason to believe are actually our ancestors. Unfortunately, as our population has added to theirs, the thin soil is not yielding nearly enough food to sustain them all. Plans are being discussed to perform another evacuation. The question is whether we will persuade these ingenious, but ultimately quite primitive humans to enter our ship".

River disconnected the computer from her portable scanner. She had realised something important, and explained it to the Doctor as she half led, half dragged him out of the cavern. "The information I gathered for this mission matches with nothing that the captain just said, so either he's lying or they are. I don't think the Captain is dead, just disappeared. If we find him, he can tell me what became of the ones that made it to the planet Maya".

The console room was deserted, and a niggling urge to make sure Anna was okay tickled the edge of the Doctor's consciousness. He brushed it away, telling himself Anna was probably fine and he was only being paranoid. "So how exactly do you plan on finding this captain, seeing as how he could be anywhere in the universe and we don't even know his name?" he inquired.

River hooked up her scanner to the TARDIS's more powerful one and replied "I did more than just give the computers a boost with this thing, you know. Everything about every crewmember of the SS Excelsior is on here...aha! Here he is, Captain…Issac Newton? You've got to be kidding me".

"No, it's just like when humans on Earth name their kids after celebritities. The fifteenth Prime Minister of one of their colonies was called Marilyn Monroe" explained the Doctor.

"Was she a good Prime Minister?" River asked curiously.

"It was a 'he'" the Doctor informed her, and she gave him a bemused look before typing 'Captain Issac Newton, SS Excelsior' into the TARDIS Index File and searching for his current location. Seconds later the results appeared. "He's on Earth, in Rio, lucky devil. And the date is the 1st of January 2001; you're not already there, are you?" she asked him, referring to his past incarnations, and he shook his head. "Good, because I can never tell with you".

The Doctor smiled and shrugged. "That's all the fun of it, is it not?" he joked. They arrived in Rio de Janeiro, although where Captain Newton currently resided continued to be a mystery, to the Doctor at least. "Excuse me" he said brightly to a passer-by, "do you know an Issac Newton?"

The woman clutched her purse a little closer and edged away, shaking her head. "He's this way, Doctor" sighed River, following the signal on her handheld scanner. "Coming! Thanks anyway" he said, before following River. They walked half a mile into the centre of town, and up to a swanky looking hotel. "Fancy seeing how the other half lives?" River inquired.

"Oh, please. They have five star dining? I have a billion star everything" the Doctor said haughtily; then they both giggled, earning them odd looks from the receptionist. "Quit making me laugh" hissed River. The Doctor felt a twinge of guilt, and as they ascended the spiral staircase in search of Issac Newton, he said "River, wait; there's something I have to tell you".

Without looking back, she replied sarcastically "I'm pretty sure you can walk and talk at the same time, you know". The signal was getting stronger by the minute; it began beeping furiously as they passed the eighteenth floor. "Down here" she announced, walking down the corridor and waving the scanner from side to side.

"Well, yes but…you are listening to me right? Look, I'm sorry about what I said before, in the cave. I didn't…okay, I meant it, but I didn't mean to upset you" the Doctor continued.

"I know you didn't. I don't really think there's anything more to be said, do you?" asked River. The scanner let out a high pitched whine and she spun on her heel, facing the door, with its smooth teak, brass handle and embossed, slightly scuffed '141'. Her knuckles rapped against the hard surface; a few moments later, a weak voice called "come in".

In the four poster bed lay on old man. His head was bald and his skin wrinkled, but he was still recognisable as Captain Issac Newton of the SS Excelsior. Issac coughed and waved weakly at the Doctor and River. "Visitors, how…how nice. I haven't had visitors since…the last time I had, err, visitors" he sighed.

"I'm River Song, and this is my…this is the Doctor. We came to find you, to ask what became of your crew" River said gently, perching on the edge of the bed. The old man peered at her and frowned slightly. "Crew? I remember… I had a boat…or was it an aeroplane…" he muttered.

"Neither, you were the captain of a time travelling spaceship called the SS Excelsior…Issac?" He appeared to have dozed off; he awoke again with a start and gave a small, queer cry. "Who are you? Get out of my room! Hoodlums, breaking and entering…" his voice descended into mumbles. The Doctor surreptitiously scanned Issac with his sonic and sighed at the results. "He's suffering from Alzheimer's. He's in no state to tell us anything" he told River, who sighed sadly.

Swallowing her disappointment, River stood up and made to leave. "No, wait" the Doctor urged her, "I might be able to…" He sat gingerly on the edge of the bed and laid a hand on Issacs shoulders. "Issac? There's something I want to do for you, but you have to trust me. If there's something you don't want me to see, imagine a door and close it" the Doctor told him in a quiet voice. Issac blinked in elderly bewilderment, and then nodded slowly. The Doctor placed his fingers on Issacs temples and very carefully stepped into his mind.

They both waited until Issac had fallen asleep again, before tiptoeing out of the room. As they walked down the staircase, the Doctor explained what he'd seen in Issacs subconscious. "I tried to heal what I could, but there was only so much I could do. I found out what happened to his crew, though. They fixed their spaceship, and tried to persuade the Mayans to board it. They were accused of blaspheming against the Mayan Gods and…and massacred. Issac was the only one to escape. He jumped to the mid-twentieth century and crashed somewhere out in Nevada".

Down in the foyer, he whispered something into the receptionist's ear; she nodded, and hurried up the stairs. "I just told her about Issac" he explained, when River gave him a questioning glance. "Why was he here, and not a hospital?" she wondered.

"Devin wasn't just a technologically advanced planet, but medicinally advanced as well. Alzheimer's was so rare on his home planet that Issac probably didn't recognise the signs until it was too late" explained the Doctor.

Just then, clerics in camouflage uniform teleported around them in the thankfully deserted foyer, all of them soaking wet and very angry. "I thought you said you sent them to Tokyo" the Doctor muttered in her ear. River shrugged innocently. "Tokyo, Indian Ocean, same old same old. By the way, Father Peterson, we found out why the colonists of Maya disappeared. They were never there in the first place, the records were falsified. They were killed by angry South Americans".

Father Peterson looked rather suspicious, so the Doctor felt he ought to vouch for River. "It's true, Father. The last survivor is in room 141, but I wouldn't bother interrogating him" he announced.

"And who are you, exactly?" demanded Peterson. The Doctor smiled and saluted him. "This is my friend, the Doctor" introduced River, and he gave her a surprised smile. So she did forgive him for hurting her. Peterson gestured to his men to handcuff River, and they did so reluctantly, having gained a fearful respect of her ever since they'd first been allocated to her cell. The Doctor bid River goodbye and walked back to his ship.

Back inside the TARDIS, he took off and let the ship float in the Vortex, before going in search of Anna. A feather soft, warm sensation brushed against his mind, and once he'd recognised the feeling, he smiled. _Hello there. _Slowly, hesitantly, the image of a book was pushed into his mind, and the Doctor's smile grew wider with pride. For the baby to be forming a strong mental link so early was both fantastic and brilliant.

Taking the book to mean library, the Doctor headed there first. Sure enough, Anna was dozing in a large armchair, one leg crossed over the other and arms lying on her stomach, her novel lying crumpled on the floor. The Doctor picked it up and smoothed out the pages, placed it on the small table, and then smiled fondly down at Anna. He kissed her forehead, and she blinked awake. "Mm, I must've dozed off. Oh, hello Thief. Where's River?" she asked sleepily.

"Heading back to Storm Cage" replied the Doctor. "Oh, so what did you do? Tell me about it. I like it when you tell me what you've done" she encouraged. The Doctor reached down and pulled her up out of the seat, before sitting down in it himself. Anna frowned at him, but it disappeared when he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her slowly.

Then the Doctor described everything that had happened since River's arrival, including his outburst in the caverns beneath the Mayan temple. When it was over, Anna closed her eyes, and the Doctor felt her whole body relax. At first he thought she might have fallen asleep, but then she began to speak. "The fixed point will not change…no, it's becoming, will become stronger… the knowledge is the key". It sounded like she was in a trance.

Anna opened her eyes to find the Doctor staring at her. "Err, what were you doing, exactly?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Reading future timelines to make sure none of this alters anything" she replied, as if it should be obvious. Once he'd processed this, the Doctor said excitedly "Ooh, guess what! Jason told me where you were, sort of…he sent me a mental image, didn't you, you clever boy?" he cooed, rubbing Anna's stomach.

"Thief, we don't know if the baby is a boy. And we can easily find out"- Anna began, only for the Doctor to pout and whine. "No, I want it to be a surprise; it's more fun that way!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm glad one of us is enjoying all this; sometimes I wish it'd never happened" she grumbled, waving a hand over her stomach. "You…you don't want the baby" the Doctor stated, staring at her miserably. Anna rolled her eyes and slapped him lightly on the arm. "Don't be daft, Thief, of course I want the baby, but _you're _not the one with a person inside them – and don't even think about making a joke about that". The Doctor obediently pressed his mouth shut.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, Anna's head resting on the Doctor's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her own shoulders. His other hand stroked soothing circles over her abdomen, tracing the words for love and family over her skin. Anna smiled and began to doze off, when the Doctor's voice tugged her back into consciousness.

"I've been thinking…we're close, probably closer than we've ever been, and now that River and I are divorced…I was going to ask her, but that isn't really going to work out now. Anna, I think we ought to bond" the Doctor suggested. Anna gave him an adorable look of sleepy confusion. "But we're already bonded, Thief…of course, if you want to make it stronger, then okay" she smiled. The Doctor beamed at her, and took both his hands in hers.

He cleared his throat. "Ahem…my dearest Anna, do you hereby steal me to be your pilot, to travel with and to cherish for ginger and for blonde, for happy and for sad…forever?" Anna couldn't stop a small chuckle escaping her throat; and then she kissed the Doctor, to let him know she wasn't laughing at him.

"Yes, definitely" she replied, eyes shining. "And do you, my dearest Doctor, hereby steal me to be your TARDIS, to travel with and to cherish for white and for bronze, for broken and for fixed, forever?" she asked him. "I certainly do; hang on, does that mean we're married now?" he asked.

"I suppose it does" smiled Anna. "Fantastic!" they both said in unison.

With their unique wedding vows out of the way, the Doctor and Anna pressed their foreheads together and slowly but surely entered the other's mind. They each felt their consciousness blossom with the others forgiveness, gratitude and devotion, and relived treasured memories. Suddenly the Doctor knew what it was to be part of all time and space. He was in the console room, seeing everything at once. It was like standing underwater; everything was blurred and sort of fuzzy.

Rose was standing in a corner with Jack, in stitches laughing at the conman's antics. His third incarnation walked right through them, Jo following at his heels with her eyes wide in childlike wonder. Tegan and Turlough were bickering besides the console, which appeared white for a moment before shifting to the twisting coral of his tenth incarnation's desktop. Romana was berating his fourth incarnation, whilst his seventh incarnation was berating Ace.

All of his friends and past lives swirled through the Doctor's mind, and when he and Anna came back into their own minds, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "I love you" she murmured, closing her eyes. The Doctor felt his throat grow dry, and he tugged at his bow tie nervously.

"I…I…I love you too".


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

A/N: I've re-written chapter Twenty Seven and uploaded it with this chapter Merry Christmas, my fellow Whovians! And watch out for robot Santa's, killer Christmas trees, flying sharks, sentient forests and ice monsters this holiday season!

Chapter Twenty Eight 

"I wish you a merry Christmas, I wish you a merry Christmas…" Anna opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of her Doctor, a floppy red hat on his head and tinsel looped around his shoulders, singing to their unborn baby. "I wish you a merry Christmas even though you're not born! It's really very cold out, it's really very cold out, it's really very cold out but you're nice and warm!"

Laughing, Anna looked around the console room from the seat she'd been dozing on. Nearby was a huge holographic fire that actually gave out heat; she was grateful he hadn't tried to light a real fire…again. Tinsel and sleigh bells were looped around the railings, the Time Rotor, the staircases and around the console, sparkling and jingling merrily. Her gaze drifted back to the Doctor, who grinned at her with shining eyes. "Merry Christmas, darling!" he announced happily.

Anna chuckled and replied "Merry Christmas to you too; though I could have sworn Christmas is celebrated in _late_ December". The Doctor waved her words away, shaking his head and making the bell on the tip of his daft hat jingle. "I have you dear; I can skip the whole month! It's the twenty fourth of December, and you know what? We still haven't put the Christmas tree up" he told her in all seriousness.

The Doctor helped Anna to her feet, and then began to dance around the console room, singing Christmas carols off key. "…And a happy new year!" he finished, twirling over to Anna. "Wait here" he told her, tapping her nose, "I've got something for you". Then he bounded up the stairs, singing away. Anna smiled down at her swollen stomach and rubbed it gently. "Merry Christmas, little one" she murmured.

The Doctor returned with a bundle of silvery fur in his arms; which luckily broke his fall as he tripped at the top of the stairs and tumbled down them. Anna tried very hard not to burst out laughing at the sight of her Thief sprawled out on the floor at her feet. He bounced up like a rubber ball, and clumsily pulled the fur around her. It was a beautifully soft, warm coat; fluffy and so long it came over the edges of her boots.

"Oh, my…Thief, it's wonderful. So, what's this really very cold place you've brought us to?" Anna asked him. The Doctor winked conspiratorially at her, and pulled two pairs of gloves out of his pocket. They put them on, and walked arm in arm to the door. Throwing them open with a flourish, the Doctor announced, "Anna, I give you the real Winter Wonderland!"

Staring in delighted awe at the sight before her, Anna stepped gingerly out into the deep blanket of snow. It creaked and crumbled under her weight, but her footprints would soon be covered by the flakes that drifted down all around them, sparkling with rainbow prisms in the sunlight. Standing on a cliff, there was a vista of tall evergreens stretching as far as the eye could see, all of them tucked under glittering domes.

The Doctor smiled widely at the expression on Anna's face. "Welcome to Winter World, the biggest and best place for Christmas in the entire universe; and best of all, its early days for this place. It won't be visited by large groups of tourists for another decade or so" he explained. He took her gloved hand in his and led her to the cliff edge, where a gravity platform waited for them. They turned to watch the blue box, dusted prettily with snow and a wreath around the handles, slip out of sight.

At the base of the cliff, they were met by a young girl, with pointed ears and curly black hair. "Welcome to Winter World, and merry Christmas! Here's your tree number" she said cheerfully, handing the Doctor a slip of paper. "Thank you, and merry Christmas" he replied, grinning. When the girl had skipped away, Anna turned to the Doctor and asked "Was she an elf?"

He shook his head. "Nope, pixie. Now to find our tree; oh Anna, you'll never guess what. Our tree is number forty!" Chuckling, the Doctor headed right, counting the numbers on each dome. "I think these trees might be a bit too tall to fit inside even my control room, Thief" commented Anna, looking up at the pine-needled arboreal giants.

"Silly Anna, we're not taking the tree. We're going to decorate it right here, that's the tradition. You reserve a tree, and they give you the decorations, it's all part of the fun!" explained the Doctor. Having started at the twentieth dome, they soon came to the 40th. The Doctor knocked on the dome as if it were a door; a moment later, a riddle appeared in flowing golden script.

'Little black seeds and a plant eaten with lamb; put them together and what do you get?' said the riddle. "The answer is the password", explained the Doctor, before answering "peppermint!"

A door opened in the dome, and they stepped through. No sooner had they done so than a large, TARDIS blue box appeared, teleported from the lodge fifty kilometres due north. "I've already filled out the list, so we can get right to it" said the Doctor as he reached into the box. "What list?" asked Anna.

The Doctor began pulling out coils of glittering golden tinsel, as he explained "The list lets the people who run all this personalise all of our Christmas decorations. You can put anything on these trees, in any size or shape". He scooped out what appeared to be a miniature football. "Like this, see! Football bauble" he grinned, showing her the cord it was hung from.

Curious, Anna closed her eyes and reached into the box, which was full to the brim with decorations. When she withdrew her hand, it was grasping a velvet box with a white ribbon tied around it. When he saw what she'd picked out, the Doctor snatched it out of her palms. "Err, we're gonna put that on later. First we do the lights, then the tinsel…now if I can just untangle it all…"

They worked together to unravel the cord of tiny light bulbs. The Doctor rode one of the movable gravity discs to the top of the tree and spiralled downwards, trailing the lights around the tree; and then rode up again and twirled the golden and blue tinsel around in opposite directions, so they criss-crossed up and down the length of the tree.

Meanwhile, Anna used the second disc to hang the baubles and bells, though at the Doctor's insistence she left the mysterious velvet box aside. "It'll be worth it" he assured her, "you're going to love what's inside". There were TARDIS baubles, football baubles, fish custard baubles (one half orange, the other half yellow), bubble gum baubles; baubles that were painted to look like Earth and even baubles painted to look like Gallifrey.

At last, they'd lavishly decorated the whole tree, except for the most special part; the very top. The Doctor picked up the velvet box and stepped onto the platform, before holding out his hand to help Anna on board. As they rose into the air, the Doctor asked "Anna, remember the other day when we took that photo of us both sitting on top of the TARDIS?"

"Yes" she replied. They had reached the top of the forty foot high tree. "Well, this is the end result" the Doctor informed her with a wink. Anna untied the ribbon, and lifted the lid; then placed a hand over her mouth as her eyes filled with joyful tears.

Inside the box was a hand carved, silver painted, three dimensional image of the photograph. Every detail was there; her pregnant belly, the Doctor's fez, the words on the doors. Only this time, they were angels, perched lightly on top of a reliable blue box. The whole carving was attached to a cone that fit neatly over the very tip of the tree. "Oh, my Doctor; this is…this is _brilliant!_" she whispered, beaming.

Together they crowned their Christmas tree, and then smiled fondly at one another. The Doctor couldn't stop thinking how beautiful Anna looked, with snow speckling her obsidian locks, and her ears and nose pink at the tip with cold. Anna couldn't help thinking how adorably silly her Doctor appeared, with his fringe poking out from under his Santa Claus hat. They shared their first Christmas kiss.

Back on the ground, the Doctor claimed he had another surprise for Anna. At the very bottom of the box was a remote, which the Doctor aimed at the tree and pressed.

/

A/N: What was the remote? What other traditions does this Winter World have? Leave a review and I might reveal the answers to these mysteries.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue

I apologise for the long wait for this chapter. Updates may be sparing at best, and chapters shorter, as I will be busy studying for exams. Two of them.

Chapter Twenty Nine 

The massive tree split into two identical giants, one of which began, inch by inch, to shrink down, until it was small enough to fit into the palm of the Doctor's hand. He and Anna grinned at one another, as she studied the cloned miniature Christmas tree. "Aw, it's so cute; so, do we just take it back to the TARDIS?" she asked. The Doctor winked at her, and led her out of the dome, still clutching their trees clone. Then he put two fingers to his lips, paused for dramatic effect, and whistled loudly.

A globe, or an orb, of sparkling light floated down and landed in front of them. It reformed and then solidified into the form of another pixie, with long blond hair and crystal blue eyes. "Hello! Can you take this back to our ship for us? It's just up on the cliff there" asked the Doctor, pointing helpfully.

"Of course, sir, and it looks simply wonderful!" the pixie complemented politely. She took the little tree and flew away. The Doctor looped his arm through Anna's and guided her through the snow, the hems of their long coats dragging in the white blanket. "Are they really pixies? I thought pixies were only mythological" commented Anna, placing a hand on her back. The Doctor slipped his arm out from under Anna's, and placed it around her back instead, massaging her as they walked.

"The pixies are the native life forms of this planet, which didn't even have a name until it was discovered by human explorers. One of them apparently thought the pixies would replace them and steal them away to another dimension, which is just silly. Everybody knows its faeries who do that" he explained, and Anna merely chuckled and rolled her eyes.

The Doctor was obviously in a very cheerful mood. "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?" he sang all of a sudden, "in the lane, snow is glistening! A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a Winter Wonderland!" he threw his free arm out as if to encompass the festive planet. Anna laughed at his ridiculous antics, and accidentally miss-stepped into a snowdrift, nearly overbalancing.

Luckily her Doctor's arm was still around her waist, holding her steady. He insisted on stopping to scoop the snow out from where it had fell into her boots, and Anna was actually quite glad of the rest. Resting with one hand on a nearby dome and one on her belly, she asked "So where exactly are we going, and more to the point, what can I expect to go wrong when we get there?"

The Doctor jumped to his feet and pressed a finger to her lips. "Shush, you'll jinx everything!" he protested. Anna raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I had no idea you were so superstitious" she teased him.

"Well, can you blame me? Wherever we go, things go wrong. First there was the spa planet where we found out you were pregnant- not that was a bad thing, far from it!" he added hastily. "Then you were killed on Cheem, I was kidnapped on Callisto IV, there was that Lezacrim on Halloween…it's like I broke a mirror and got seven _hundred _years bad luck".

Anna waited patiently for him to stop rambling, and then calmly pointed out, "Technically, we've been travelling for nine hundred years, give or take. Secondly, the accidental or wanton destruction of reflective glass does not incur unpleasant fates on the person in question. Also, I regenerated, helped you escape, you made a new friend with young Billy and finding out we were having a baby was certainly not entirely a bad thing. What I'm trying to say, Thief, is you have nothing to worry about".

The Doctor smiled; a smile that quickly slipped off his face as he checked his watch. "Come on old girl, or we'll be late!" They stumbled over the snow, down the line of towering domed Christmas trees, and up towards a large white and silver steam train, white smoke swirling from the funnel. With an ear piercing whistle, the train began to pull away from the platform. "What! No, no! Come back! Look over here! Hey!"

Despite the Doctor's best efforts, the train chugged merrily away, carriage after carriage sliding past them and into the distance. Anna glanced at the Doctor's expression of pure exasperation with the universe, and blushed. "Erm, sorry" she muttered apologetically, "you might possibly have _something _to worry about". He sighed and reached out to take her hand.

"It's not your fault. I'm the one who wanted to stop…well, back to the box I guess". Before they turned around, the train suddenly came driving backwards down the track, hissing to a halt. Apparently the Doctor's yells had been heard after all. "Climb aboard, then!" called the driver. Marvelling at their change of luck, the Doctor helped Anna onto the train and stepped on board after her, sliding the door shut behind them.

The inside of the carriage was a long, communal corridor, done up with the colour scheme of a sweater knitted by one's grandmother. Festive wreaths decked the hall, and carols trickled out of hidden speakers. The seats were arranged lengthways down the walls of the carriage, divided by raised cushions and positioned behind windows.

Anna sat with her back to one of the cushions, with her feet propped up on the Doctor's lap. He unlaced her boots and began to rub her sore ankles; Anna smiled and sighed in delight. "That's nice" she murmured.

"You know, a better compliment wouldn't have made my ego grow _that _much bigger" the Doctor huffed. Anna chuckled and replied "Okay, that's the best thing you've ever done for me, you're the most wonderful person in the universe, et cetera, et cetera".

The Doctor rolled his eyes and asked "Well, if you're going to be like that I won't ask you what you think of Winter World…but you can tell me, of course, if you really want to" he hinted. Anna smiled and replied "Honestly? It's beautiful, and this snow isn't making me crave chips". The Doctor chuckled, remembering their brief visit to Sibelia.

"But I am craving apples" she added. The Doctor slid across the seat and jumped up, twirled around and saluted her. "Yes, ma'am!" he announced, before traipsing down the corridor in search of the buffet. Anna watched the snowy landscape whirl by through the window, absent-mindedly drumming her fingers on her belly. She could feel the baby kicking, as if they were practising for all the running.

A particularly hard jab made her wince; that was probably the baby trying to somersault. "You're certainly active, aren't you?" she murmured. "You'll take after your father a lot, he never stays still for long either; but that's one of the things I love about him. He loves you, you know, so very much. There's so much in store for you, my darling" smiled Anna.

"You'll be our miracle, our healer, our hope. The whole universe will be your home. I'll take you where you want to go, and teach you to drive a TARDIS; now that _will _annoy your father. Oh, your father; he'll try to get you eating fish custard and wearing those ridiculous hats of his, and he'll turn into the Oncoming Storm around any boy that come your way, and he'll sneak you sweets before dinner when he thinks I'm not looking. No matter what, we'll be there for you, both of us" she promised.

It wasn't long before the Doctor returned, carrying a fruit basket decorated with a holly and mistletoe wreath. On his head perched a garishly red Santa Claus hat, complete with fluffy white trim and a bobble dangling at the tip. "I've got a Santa hat now Anna, Santa hats are cool! And Christmassy! They were giving them out for free in the buffet. I got you one too, so you wouldn't feel left out" he said cheerfully.

Anna smiled and accepted the hat; he looked so pleased that she couldn't even think of dropping it in a roaring log fire the first chance she got. Well, perhaps she could. "You haven't told me where this train is going yet" she prompted, before munching a nice ripe apple. The Doctor sat cross legged on the floor and unpeeled a banana. "We're going to the North Pole!" he informed her excitedly.

"Oh, of course, because lots of planets have a north" remembered Anna. Between bites of banana, the Doctor explained what there was to look forward to. "We'll stay in a log cabin, and have Christmas dinner; ooh, and there's a Santa's grotto". The Doctor's eyes were practically gleaming with excitement. "Is the grotto for the children?" asked Anna, and he visibly tumbled back to Winter World. "Right, err, for the children" he said, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

Anna took pity on him. "You can go in the grotto if you really want to, Thief. There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes, right?" The Doctor perked up at this. "Right! Besides, I don't really _need _to go into Santa's grotto – we can go inside the secret Santa grotto instead!" Anna's expression became dubious. "And err, what exactly is a secret Santa grotto?" she asked.

"Oh, well Santa's grotto is technically for the children, so they can tell Santa – not the real Santa Claus, just someone dressed like him – what they want for Christmas, and then it's given to them on Christmas Day; but the adults go to the secret grotto, and keep what they want for Christmas…well, a secret" explained the Doctor. Anna was still puzzled. "But if we keep what we want for Christmas a secret, how will anyone know what to give us?" she inquired.

The Doctor tapped her fondly on the nose. "You'll see, dear" he smiled.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

A/N: There are only five more chapters to go. I've started a poll on my profile where you, lovely readers, can vote for the baby being a boy or a girl. Please note that I will not be counting any votes given via review or PM, nor will I be accepting alternative names for the baby.

Chapter Thirty 

The train made several more stops along the way to the Pole, picking up passengers down its lengthy route. A wide variety of humans and aliens were soon aboard, greeting each other cordially and offering their congratulations to the couple. Anna, who normally disliked being the centre of attention, was rather enjoying it this time.

The Christmas spirit pervaded the air, and banter was passed around instead of hostilities. A thin, rather sallow man in his mid-forties to early fifties came over to greet them. "Mr Miles Sellers at your service" he introduced himself, shaking the Doctors hand. "Merry Christmas, Miles. I'm the – Doctor, Dr John Smith, and this is my…err…sort of…wife, Anna" replied the Doctor.

Mr Sellers tipped his trilby to Anna, who smiled back politely; yet something about him was displeasing. "Please, call me Mr Sellers. When is the little one due?" he asked. The Doctor's mind began ticking over, trying to work out what month it was in Earth time when they'd first discovered the pregnancy; Anna calmly answered "late January". He raised an eyebrow at her. Anna raised one right back. Mr Sellers gave a polite smile. "Well, I'm sure you'll be a fine mother. After all, that is what women are meant to do" he sniffed.

Anna frowned slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. Mr Sellers looked rather put out; "I'm merely suggesting that you're suited for motherhood, that's all" he replied.

"It's just that it sounds like you're implying that women aren't good for anything _other_ than being mothers. They do other things, you know" Anna replied testily, glaring up at the man. The Doctor wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

"I wasn't implying anything of the sort!" protested Sellers, "and quite frankly, Mrs Smith, your irrationality merely proves my point!"

"Don't talk to her that way" the Doctor defended. "You'll probably want to go back to your seat, Mr Sellers; I imagine we'll be arriving soon". Mr Sellers returned to his seat at the other end of the train, trying and failing to hide his expression of complete affront.

The Doctor regarded Anna with an air of amusement. "Don't tell me, it was your hormones talking" he guessed. "He was irritating me" she admitted sourly. The Christmas spirit from just moments before felt like it had petered out.

"Yes, well, I doubt he'll be bothering us again, eh old girl? Hey, imagine if he knew you're actually a b"- the Doctor noticed Anna scowling at him, and thought _It's definitely the hormones. Quick, backtrack! _"Erm, you look very pretty?" he amended quickly. Anna just sighed in exasperation. "Shut up" she muttered tiredly.

The train arrived at the final station at last, and the Doctor helped Anna to her feet. Most of the other guests, considerate as they were, offered to let Anna and the Doctor disembark first; all except Mr Sellers, who pushed past the Doctor with his nose in the air. Outside, the air was crisp and cold, with glittering icicles hanging from the sparse trees.

Several reindeer drawn sleighs were scattered about the station; the elfin driver of the nearest one waved them over and offered a ride to their cabin. "Oh, aren't you lovely and soft?" cooed Anna, stroking the nose of one of the reindeer. It snorted and sniffed at her coat. The Doctor petted the other one as the driver introduced himself as Jeremy, and the reindeer as Comet and Snowflake respectively.

Once they were aboard the sleigh, with a thick woollen throw settled snugly over their laps, the Doctor flipped open his psychic paper and showed it to Jeremy. Bells jingled on the reins as Jeremy steered them out of the station and down towards the collection of log cabins. They soon arrived at an available one, nicely decorated with an ivy wreath on the door and covered in a fluffy blanket of white snow.

"Here you are folks! Hope you enjoy yourselves" said Jeremy as the Doctor and Anna climbed out of the sleigh. "Thank you, Jeremy, and Merry Christmas!" smiled Anna, waving goodbye.

Inside the cabin it was deliciously warm, and Anna gladly divested herself of her now uncomfortably warm coat. The heat and light emerged from a warm fire in the hearth, protected by a cast iron grate. There was a bed just big enough for two on one side, and in the corner beside the fireplace stood the tree they had decorated. It now brushed the top of the ceiling, and the baubles and golden tinsel glittered and shone in the firelight.

Anna turned to the Doctor and said curiously "I don't understand, Thief. How did the pixie – we really should have asked her name – know where to take the tree if you didn't know which cabin we were going to? What did you show her and Jeremy on the psychic paper, anyway?"

"Oh, that. I just planted the idea in their heads to go to the same cabin. I didn't know which one they'd go to, but still, this one is quite nice. Bit on the small side though…kind of intimate…" he bit his lip and glanced at Anna. "Well, you should have picked a bigger one then, now shouldn't you?" she pointed out teasingly, before gasping in surprise.

"What is it, what's wrong?" asked the Doctor, trying not to panic. It was probably nothing. "It's nothing" confirmed Anna. "The baby just kicked a little hard, that's all" she explained. The Doctor's eyes widened in excitement; he hurried over and placed a hand firmly on Anna's stomach, trying to feel the baby kicking. Anna gently moved his hand to where she'd last felt the baby kick, and sure enough, he felt an odd little thump under the heel of his hand.

His smile widened happily. "It's so weird…but good weird...what does it feel like, to you?" the Doctor asked Anna, who considered it for a moment before answering "Remember that one time you, Rose and Jack came back with an ultra-bouncy ball that Jack accidentally on purpose dropped? I could feel it bouncing around my console room, hitting the walls and the floor…this is nothing like that".

They settled down on in two comfortable chairs besides the fire. "So when are we going to this Secret Santa grotto you seemed so excited about?" asked Anna. The Doctor scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Ah, well you see in all the excitement, I rather forgot there _isn't _any such thing as a Secret Santa grotto. But! There is a secret Santa, here I'll show you". He bounced out of his chair and picked up two pieces of card from the pillow.

Each card was bordered with a pattern of snowflakes and had a small pen dangling from a string at the corner. The Doctor handed one to Anna as he sat back down. "All you have to do is list what you want, and they'll either make it or find it for you. Or the nearest equivalent, at least. Apparently someone asked for a dinosaur and received an entire Triceratops skeleton" the Doctor informed her.

When they had finished, the Doctor took them to the little red post box outside, where they would be sorted and gifts selected based on the answers. As he was walking back to the cabin, the Doctor encountered Jeremy, who looked rather panicked about something. "Jeremy, mate! Well, not mate, forget mate. What's the matter?"

"It's not good, really not good. Santa's sick – well, not _the_ Santa, he couldn't come this year, but now the guy we got to dress up like him ate some raw shrimp in a cocktail by mistake. There's a load of upset kids and angry parents and we just don't know what to do….I don't suppose _you _could fill in?" Jeremy asked hopefully. The Doctor looked around, as if making sure Jeremy wasn't talking to somebody else, and pointed at himself. "Err, yes?"

Jeremy pushed the red and white bundle he was carrying into the Doctor's arms. "Great, that is such a big help, the Grotto is just over there, all you gotta do is just put the suit on, let the kids sit on your lap, give them a sweet from the jar; I gotta run, thanks again!" And with that he strode off through the ankle deep snow, leaving the Doctor standing there stunned.

He reached out through his bond with Anna, and felt her concern. _Thief, is everything alright? _

_Yeah, it's fine, except I kind of volunteered to be Santa Claus at the Grotto. _

_Well, you did want to go there didn't you? Besides, you're wonderful with children. I'll see you later. _

Then he felt her presence in his mind fade back to the edges. Shrugging, the Doctor made his way to the grotto, avoiding the families that elves and pixies were attempting to persuade to form neat lines out front. He pulled on the Santa costume and sat down in the chair, which was equipped to record the child's requests. The first little girl was led in by a kind looking pixie; she practically dwarfed the little alien, despite being about six years old.

"Ho, Ho, Ho!" laughed the Doctor, in a reasonable impression of the big guy, if he did say so himself. The little girl practically tackled him, throwing herself onto his lap and beaming up at him. "What's your name?"

"Alicia!"

"That's a lovely name. So Alicia, which cabin are you staying in?"

Alicia crossed her arms. "Shouldn't you already know that, Santa?" she asked. The Doctor tapped her on the nose. "Of course I know, you're in cabin eight"

"No, I'm in cabin fourteen"

"Well, isn't that nice? Fourteen's a great number. So, Alicia, what do you want Santa…me, that is…to bring you for Christmas tomorrow?"

Alicia bounced on his lap in excitement. "I want a white pony, and a pink princess costume, and a fairy wand with sparkles on it that glows and makes _whoosh _noises, and a" – This was going to be a long day.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

A/N: Woohoo! Christmas Special! New chapter! Please review!

Chapter Thirty One 

The Doctor practically bounced into the cabin, wearing the Santa hat he'd borrowed from the grotto and beaming. "Hello love! I see you've found the instant cocoa maker. I had a great time; Jeremy says I'm the best Santa Claus they ever had, how about you?" he asked cheerfully. Anna didn't look up from her hot chocolate. "I'm fine, thank you. Well actually, there was one little thing…"

"Oh, what's that?" asked the Doctor, fiddling with the ornaments on the tree. The little bow ties were all wonky. Anna scowled irritably at his back. "I'm also tired, large, aching all over and more or less downright miserable" she added.

The Doctor turned around and exclaimed "Oh come on Anna, get into the spirit of things; it's Christmas! You could be Mrs Claus" he suggested with a wink. Anna glared at him. "You better not have meant what I think you did. Do you think I _want _to look like a Star Whale? And it's just going to get worse. Two more months…I wish the baby would come right now" she grumbled.

Suddenly a shooting pain passed through her abdomen. Anna's eyes widened. "I didn't mean it!" she blurted hurriedly.

"Erm, Anna? It's probably just a Braxton Hicks contraction, they start around this time in the pregnancy" said the Doctor. Anna stared at him. "What?" he asked. "I did _read_ those books you found; never again, though" he added, shuddering.

Anna sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "What I don't understand is why you landed here on Christmas Eve and not Christmas Day. I'd have expected you to land us here in time for Christmas dinner and then dragged me off to open presents" she pointed out.

"I would have, if I'd been with the Ponds, but they've seen loads of Christmases. This is your first proper Christmas that you can actually celebrate, and I wanted to do everything properly, I wanted it to be perfect but everything went wrong. Now you're crying, I don't blame you, I was off having fun with the kids whilst you were stuck in here" – the Doctor's guilty rambling was cut off by an exclamation of "Oh shut up, you beautiful idiot!"

Anna wiped her eyes and smiled at him. "I was happy crying. It doesn't have to be perfect, Thief. I'm just happy to spend it with you, and I'll be even happier next year when we spend it with our son or daughter. Now then, we don't have long to wait before we can open those presents, right?"

The Doctor smiled and gave her a kiss. "In approximately eight hours, fifteen minutes and twenty two seconds, a load of little elves and pixies will deliver presents perfectly tailored to our desires. In the meantime; they were giving out free boxes of cookies, so I got us a couple" he informed Anna, taking the boxes out of a sack he seemingly pulled out of thin air.

Moments later, both Time Lord and TARDIS sat with hot chocolate and cookies, talking about Christmases past. "I think the best Christmas I've had in a while was meeting Kazran and Abigail. Oh, that was a great adventure- singing, true love, sleigh rides with flying sharks. Hey, do you think this place would open that as an attraction if I suggested it?" the Doctor asked eagerly.

Anna chuckled. "I really don't know. What about that other family, the ones whose father was lost?" she asked. The Doctor smiled in reminiscence. "Oh yeah, the Arwells. That one was fun as well. It's strange isn't it? For years Christmas was the time of holiday cheer _and_ holiday disaster; the Sycorax, the Racnoss, and so on and so forth. Lately things have been pretty mild" he mused.

Taking a sip of cocoa, Anna said calmly "Knowing you, you're probably wishing for some excitement right now".

The Doctor shook his head. "Excitement usually means danger for us, dear" he replied, adding "and danger doesn't mean a lovely Christmas. Besides, I have a feeling nothing bad will happen. That will all start _after_ Christmas" he predicted gloomily.

They stayed awake for hours, discussing the places they'd been on Christmas and which of those places they could safely take the new baby; soon both Anna and the Doctor had dozed off. Anna found herself having a lovely dream about the flower power of the sixties, all psychedelic colours and chanting unseen crowds. She was rather reluctant to leave it when the Doctor shook her awake, grinning like a little boy.

"Look Anna, look! I told you they'd come, see, we've got presents!" he shouted gleefully, pulling wrapped boxes out from under the tree. He checked the label of a shallow, square box wrapped in silver and gold striped paper and announced "This one's for you…ooh, and this one is for me!" He picked up a small cuboid shaped box, covered in red wrapping paper, and shook it gently.

Anna smiled fondly; then her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened her first present. Folded neatly inside the box was a long shift dress, covered in the same pattern as Vincent Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' painting. Smiling, Anna pulled on the dress, discovering that apart from being a little too long in the sleeves, it fit perfectly, even with her bump. "I don't believe it; this is exactly what I wrote on my list, but I didn't think they'd be able to make one so quickly" she said admiringly.

The Doctor smiled, and then pointed out, "Well, the elves might not have made it from scratch. Winter World is a charity organisation, so they get a lot of their money and gifts from donations. Don't worry, they wash and mend everything they're given" he assured her. In an attempt to keep her mind off where the dress she was currently wearing might have come from, Anna asked "Well Doctor, what's in the box?"

The Doctor grinned at her and replied "You are". Anna gave him a puzzled frown, until he passed the box over for her to have a look. Nestled amongst the tissue paper was a tiny police box figurine. "It's cute" she smiled, picking up the little model and studying it. "I don't suppose it's bigger on the inside?" she joked. The Doctor shook his head.

"Unfortunately not, but there should be a drawing inside; just press the light bulb down to open the doors" he explained. Anna did so, and the doors clicked open. Painted on the inside of the little box was an entire miniature galaxy. "Try pressing the bulb again" prompted the Doctor. This caused a small LED light to flicker on, and a holographic image of the same galaxy to shine out of the box.

Anna admired the hologram for a few moments longer before clicking the light bulb twice to turn it off and shut the doors of the little model. "Whatever you wrote on your list must have been extremely specific" she chuckled.

"No more than yours. I just asked for a smaller version of something I already have; a blue police box with the whole universe inside" replied the Doctor. Anna smiled fondly and motioned for him to hand her another present. The Doctor's second gift was a long white recorder, on which he proceeded to happily play 'Jingle Bells' out of key.

Wincing at the awful noise, Anna put on _her _second present; a pair of earmuffs. The Doctor glared at them indignantly. "Hey; did you ask for those because you knew I'd ask for a recorder? I haven't played recorder in ages! I think I'm pretty good at it, too…Anna? Can you even hear me with those on?" the Doctor groused.

One by one, all their presents were opened, and each was almost precisely what the Doctor and Anna had wanted. By the time they reached the last present, Anna was the owner of a new dress, new shoes to match, earmuffs, as well as several toys and objects that would help with the baby. "You're always so practical" complimented the Doctor; at least she hoped it was a compliment.

Anna smiled. "Which is more than can be said for some of us" she quipped, nodding at the Doctor's new model aeroplane, half built in his lap. "What? The baby will love this!" he protested.

Their eyes turned to the final present, and the biggest one of all. "It's addressed to both of us" said the Doctor as he read the tag. The large present was covered in plain brown paper, which gave no clues as to what could be inside. Of course, the Doctor and Anna couldn't resist a mystery, so they tore off the brown paper and peered inside the box.

It contained a perfectly carved and varnished rosewood cot, decorated with small hearts along the edge. There was a card lying on the base; the Doctor scooped it out and unfolded it, reading aloud. "Congratulations on your new baby, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, from Jeremy. Well this is awkward…I don't really want to tell him we don't need this cot, not after he went to all this trouble".

"I'm sure Jeremy will understand" said Anna, before she was interrupted by her stomach rumbling and a kick from the baby. "I can't ignore two demands for food, now can I? Come along Doctor; I think it's time we ate" smiled Anna. They made their way outside, and coincidentally, their new elfin friend was driving his sleigh past just then.

"Good morning, and Merry Christmas! Do you guys want a ride to the breakfast buffet?" Jeremy asked cheerfully, slowing down to a stop in front of them. The Doctor and Anna walked over and petted Comet and Snowflake. "Hi, Jeremy. Listen, you know that cot you built for us?" the Doctor began, scratching at his cheek awkwardly. The little elf looked up at them, his face falling. "You didn't like it?" he asked nervously.

Anna quickly replied "No, no we loved it. It's just that, well the Doctor still has his own cot for us to use, that's all. I'm sure you'll find another family who need such a beautiful cot" she reassured him. Jeremy smiled. "Okay. Climb aboard, I'll drop you off at the buffet and come back here to collect the cot. It isn't the first time gifts have been returned; we do our best, but we can't please everyone".

They rode on Jeremy's sleigh to a long, low building, covered in snow like all the others, and from which delicious scents of frying bacon and eggs floated. "Thanks, Jeremy" the Doctor said, helping Anna from the sleigh. "Yes, thank you, and Merry Christmas" she added, bending over and giving him a thank you kiss on his little cheek. Jeremy's whole face went bright red. "On, Snowflake, on Comet" he prompted, still blushing.

The Doctor suddenly pointed behind Anna, and cried "look, a penguin!" Anna raised an eyebrow. The Doctor sighed and held up the sprig of mistletoe in his fingers anyway. "Merry Christmas, dear".


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

Chapter Thirty Two 

"Danger, critical reaction imminent in ten minutes, evacuate immediately. Danger, critical reaction imminent in ten mi"- the calm voice of the computer cut off quickly as the Doctor yanked a handful of wires out of the back of the machine and swiftly rewired them. He was inside a nuclear power station on Earth, in thirty second century New York, one which was on the verge of a meltdown that would destroy a whole two thirds of the city around it. Thousands of lives would be lost unless he shut the place down.

He and Anna had arrived in Central Park for a picnic. Despite all the years that had gone past, the developments and rising populations, Central Park was still a calm place to visit within all the hustle and bustle of the city. He had originally been aiming for the Jardin du Luxemborg, but a park was a park.

After a few sandwiches and Jammy Dodgers, the Doctor's energy prevented him from being comfortable sitting still or even pacing, so he went for a jog. Being nine months pregnant, Anna was neither in the condition nor the mood for running; which, the Doctor reflected as he frantically typed override codes onto a second computer, was probably for the best.

At last, the screens around him flashed blue and white, displaying the words 'SYSTEM ERROR AVERTED' on their screens, before shutting down one by one. The Doctor brushed his fringe out of his eyes and grinned. Just another typical day at the office, as it were. With the crisis over, he returned to Central Park, where both Anna and the TARDIS were still waiting patiently for him.

"I'm guessing that you knew about the nuclear power station" he commented when he'd reached Anna, who shrugged. "I had an inkling" she replied casually.

"Did you know I'd go for a walk in the direction of the power station and feel the inexplicable urge to go inside it when I walked past?" the Doctor asked. Anna sighed, thinking he'd finally caught her out. "Fine, I used our bond to just…influence you, a little bit. I've done it before. I'm sorry" she apologised, although she didn't sound entirely contrite. The Doctor, who actually had no idea about this, frowned at her, shading the sun from his eyes with a hand. "What do you mean, you've done that before?"

There was an expression of penance on Anna's face that didn't fool him for a second. "Well you know we've always had a rudimentary psychic bond, and I may have used at a few critical moments to give you a nudge in the right direction. You wouldn't have saved so many lives if I hadn't put a few little ideas in your head" she explained.

"And are you sorry for tricking me into doing things?" demanded the Doctor. Anna tilted her head to one side. "Are you?" she enquired mildly. The Doctor sighed and leaned back against the door of the TARDIS. "Shut up" he grumbled, not wanting to admit that she was most likely right as usual. Anna smiled and closed her eyes, soaking up the warmth of the sun. "You're welcome" she murmured.

They were quiet for about an hour, until the Doctor just couldn't take it anymore. "Come on, Anna!" he exclaimed suddenly, jumping to his feet. "Things to do, places to be. We could visit the Butterfly people, or-ow!" he yelped, when Anna's arm smacked his shin. "Shut up, need to concentrate" she muttered. "Why, what are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"Redecorating" she replied simply. The Doctor frowned in puzzlement, trying to figure out what she meant. Soon Anna opened her eyes and smiled. "There, that should do it. Ah, Doctor? Little help?" she prompted. He helped her to her feet, and she rubbed her aching back with a sigh, before snapping her fingers.

They re-entered the TARDIS, which had apparently undergone a makeover. The steps had been replaced with ramps, covered in rubber, which in turn was covered in small bumps. Rubbish for sliding down, then. Instead of a glass floor, there was a soft golden carpet that contrasted with the jet black ceiling, on which a holographic image of stars and planets revolved. The holes in the floor had been covered up, every sharp edge was rounded off and there was a padded wall all around the console level.

The Doctor stared all around, and then looked at Anna. "You…you…baby proofed the console room" he uttered, redundantly. "The whole ship, actually" Anna corrected idly. "I've been meaning to do this for a while now, seeing as the baby might be born any day now…Aah!" she screamed suddenly, eyes going wide in shock.

Immediately panicking, the Doctor rushed over and grabbed Anna's face between his hands. "Okay, deep breaths, stay calm!" he said hurriedly.

Anna pulled his hands away from her face and promptly slapped him. "I _am _staying calm, _you _are not. Besides, it was a false alarm" she informed him shortly, and he sighed in relief. "Where do you want to go now?" he asked. Anna leaned as casually as she could against the railing. "Anywhere that I can relax" she decided. The Doctor thought about it and smiled. "I know the perfect place" he told her, pulling down the dematerialisation lever.

The Time Rotor glowed from within in different colours, red, blue, yellow and purple, and the Doctor smiled. Now that was one bit of the redecoration he did like. When they landed, he escorted Anna to the door and out into the spa complex in which they'd first discovered the symptoms of her pregnancy. "The people here'll take good care of you; and this time, try not to pretend you're royalty". Anna blushed scarlet and nodded.

They found their way to the maternity spa, where two mothers to be were gossiping amiably whilst their husbands teased one another about being henpecked and tied down. One of them, Lydia, turned to Anna and began talking to her politely. "Looks like your little one'll be coming any day now. Are you excited?" she asked. Anna blinked nervously; she still wasn't used to getting attention. "I…yes. We both are, right Doctor?" The Doctor, who was trying to follow Lydia's husband Clyde's and his friend Thomas' discussion of sports, looked around in confusion. "Sorry, what?" he asked, distracted.

Anna didn't meet Lydia's eyes, feeling more conspicuous than ever. "Oh, it's nothing really; I was just asking your wife if she was excited about her new baby. She said you both are; I wish Clyde felt the same way" explained Lydia, glaring at her mountain of a husband, who shrugged. "I never said I wasn't excited about our _third_ kid, Lydia. I'm just dreading the late nights, smelly nappies, and all the other delights of taking care of a small person" he informed his wife.

Thomas' girlfriend Toni asked Anna for her name. "Oh, um, I'm Anna and my husband's name is Pete" she replied hurriedly, trying to look sincere. _Pete? _The Doctor said disbelievingly through their bond. _Sorry, I panicked. Thief, I'd really like to leave now _she told him. He could feel her discomfort and walked over, perching on the edge of the massage bed and putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Anna isn't used to being the centre of attention" he explained to Lydia and Toni, who both looked apologetic. "Unless she's being asked about time travel, which she is something of an expert on" the Doctor added, winking at Anna. Toni shyly asked Anna if she could explain the Grandfather Paradox to her. "Is that the one that makes you not exist, or makes you cause your own existence?" the young woman inquired curiously.

Anna perked up a little; this was definitely her area of expertise. "Technically, the Grandfather Paradox is just a name for a paradox in which Event B prevents Event A _and _Event B from ever happening. Think of it this way; imagine you were in a car crash and you weren't injured severely, that's Event A. If you then went back in time and stopped yourself from driving that day, that's Event B. If you can't drive, you can't crash, so Event A never happened. And if event A never happened, you wouldn't have any reason to stop it, so Event B never happened either" she explained.

_Thank you _she told the Doctor, who gave her the psychic equivalent of a hug. Clyde announced his current state of boredom and suggested that he, the Doctor and Thomas go bowling. "Ooh, I love bowling! I'm the best on Virginia Woolf's team, at least that's what they all tell me" the Doctor piped up eagerly, though deep down he was a little nervous about leaving Anna. _You'll know if I need you _she reassured him.

And so the Doctor went off with the two human men, and Lydia asked Anna in confusion, "When he says Virginia Woolf, does he mean an ancestor of the woman who wrote those novels?"

"Oh, yes, of course! So Lydia, I don't mean to be rude, but does your husband ever…get angry if he loses something?" questioned Anna.

Lydia shook her head. "Not really, he's quite good natured about that sort of thing. Why?" she asked curiously. "Well, when the Doctor says he's the best on the team, _that isn't really saying much_" Anna informed her with a wink. A moment later, all three women chortled loudly. "Oh, now I wish I could see _that_ fiasco, but these massage beds are just so comfortable. Now then, Anna dear, let me give you a bit of advice, one mother to another…"

/

Clyde was beginning to think his initial proposal might have not been such a good idea after all. Still, it was rather amusing to watch the Doctor, who was about as good at bowling as a chimp; i.e. not very. For one thing, he had apparently mixed bowling with some lawn sport or other, and stared at the lanes, pins and bowling balls as if he'd entered another universe entirely.

"Now that I think about it, you probably would have said 'hey, let's go play boules' if you'd meant the game that _I _was thinking of, but I guess that could have been misconstrued…yowza! These balls are heavy…no, sorry, I didn't mean it like that, and I swore I'd never say 'yowza' again, didn't I?" he babbled like a madman. Thomas and Clyde were beginning to think he was one.

Once he'd got used to the weight of the bowling ball, the Doctor tried to recall the technique Clyde had used on his turn, and ended up throwing the ball straight into the gutter as he promptly tripped up. A smattering of sniggers filled the room as the Doctor bounced back to his feet with a hasty "Hold on, let me try that again!"

He picked up another bowling ball and managed to get the technique right, just not the force. The ball dribbled down the last few feet of alley and chinked against the first pin. In spite of his hopelessness at bowling, Clyde couldn't help but admire the man's enthusiasm. The whole bowling centre was so focused on the Doctor's antics, and he was so focused on getting it right, that none of them noticed the man lurking in the doorway, watching the scene unfold with an expression of satisfaction.

The man slowly reached into his pocket so as not to draw attention to himself, and pulled out a shortwave radio. The sounds around him drowned out the crackling of static and his own low voice. "Phase one is complete. The Doctor is being…entertained. Proceed with phase two" he ordered.

/

Anna, Lydia and Toni had all run out of gossip and insights and were simply relaxing on the massage beds. Toni was forced to heed nature's call; as she came back from the bathroom, she looked out of the window, and saw three silhouettes walking towards the building, though they were still a way off. "Looks like the boys are coming back" she commented lightly, reclining once more on her bed.

This puzzled Anna; she could feel the Doctor's location through their bond, and he was all the way over on the other side of the plaza that the maternity spa backed onto. Whoever Toni had seen coming back, one of them was not the Doctor. She pulled herself into a sitting position and felt a now familiar pang sear across her stomach. She tried to ignore it and reached out through her link with the Doctor.

_Doctor, are you there? _

_I'm here. What's wrong; is the baby coming? _

_No, but listen. Clyde and Thomas, are they with you right now? Can you see them? _

_Yeah, they're right in front of me, why? _

…

_Anna, what's going on? Tell me! _

_Thief, get here quickly. Please. _

A shiver of cold dread ran down Anna's spine; somehow she had always known that this was coming. As she locked the door with her sonic, she wondered why they hadn't come for her sooner, other than the fact she was nine months pregnant would make it harder for her to run away. "Lydia, Toni, wake up!" cried Anna. There was no way she could escape, but they could.

Her new friends sat up, looking at her in concern and confusion. "Anna dearie, whatever's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost" said Lydia. Anna tried hard to keep her head straight and her voice steady. "L-listen to me, both of you. Toni, the men you just saw aren't Thomas, the Doctor, and Clyde. They're…I think they're coming for me" she told them.

The door handle rattled, and all three women jumped. "It's me they want, just me, but they'll do anything to get to me, and that includes _killing you_" she said in a desperate, strained voice. Lydia and Toni gasped, their eyes going wide in fear. "I can't escape, but you can. Climb out the window in the bathroom, and find the Doctor…my husband. Tell him…tell I'm sorry. I'm so sorry".

The men on the other side of the door seemed determined to wrench it off its hinges. Toni got to her feet and fled into the bathroom; Lydia stood up too, and came around to help Anna to her feet. "What are you doing?" a terrified Anna asked her. "You can't just sit here. Come on, you can hide in the bathroom, lock the door, it's better than nothing" Lydia insisted.

Anna smiled in spite of herself. "You're a good person, Lydia" she said gratefully. Toni and Lydia were soon out of the window; thankfully, the maternity spa was on the ground floor. Anna quickly locked the bathroom door just as the men after her broke through the other one. Then she grabbed the showerhead and placed her hand on the 'HOT' switch. If she was going to be taken, it wouldn't be without a fight.

It wasn't long before they were pounding on the bathroom door, which creaked under the strain. Anna flinched as a bullet struck the tiled wall besides her shoulder, sending a spray of shrapnel out in all directions. The gunman kicked the door down, its lock blown out and useless. Instinctively, Anna wrapped one arm protectively around her stomach; the arm that ended with the hand that clutched her sonic. One click and the hot water lanced out of the showerhead like a boiling pressure washer. Her other hand aimed it right at the men.

They spluttered as their faces were filled with hot water, pausing to rub it out of their eyes. One of them pulled out a syringe, and Anna blanched. She didn't know if whatever was in it would be safe for the baby, and she couldn't exactly just ask them.

_Anna, where are you, answer me! _

_The Silence has found us. There's – I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. _

_No! Hold on Anna, just hold on, I'm coming, please! _

They were surrounding her now, pinning her arms, sinking the needle into her neck. Everything went blurry, but she was dimly aware of one of the men speaking into a radio. "Phase two completed, the woman and child have been captured. Activate transmat, I repeat, activate transmat".

"_Anna!" _The Doctors faint, anguished cry in the back of her mind was the last thing Anna heard before the darkness took her.

/

_Anna, what's going on? Tell me! _he demanded, because she sounded worried and if she was worried, he was worried too, and he didn't do well with worried. Her mental voice came back, sounding scared and helpless. _Thief, get here quickly, please. _No sooner had the words been spoken in his mind than the Doctor was on his feet, running.

As he neared the spa, he nearly collided with Lydia and Toni. "Where's Anna?" he demanded frantically, looking between them both. They were shaking and looked dreadfully frightened. "We're sorry, she...she told us to run, there were these men after her, we don't know why" Toni explained quickly. "We escaped out the bathroom window, but it was too narrow for her. She told us to tell you she was sorry" said Lydia, and the Doctor began running again.

It couldn't be, it just couldn't be! _Anna, where are you, answer me! _He yelled through their link. She replied, she was still there, he still had time!

_The Silence has found us. There's – I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. _

He was at the door now, or what was left of it. _No! Hold on Anna, just hold on, I'm coming, please! _He ran into the bathroom just in time to see four people disappear via a transmat beam.

The Doctor sank to his knees in despair, and screamed for her. "_Anna! _No, no, Anna I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" He was too late. He had failed her. Her and their child, just like he failed everyone he loved. Lydia and Toni had followed him. "I should've stayed, should've protected her. They took her. They took her and it's my entire fault".

Toni asked, in a small, scared voice "I don't understand. What did they want with Anna, who were they?" The Doctor looked up at her, his eyes dark with storm cloud fury, and answered, "The Silence".


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

A/N: Quite a lot of POV swapping this chapter, between Anna and the Doctor. It worked in the last chapter, so I figured, why not here?

Chapter Thirty Three 

Anna awakened with a groan, feeling sick and dizzy. What had happened? The only things she remembered clearly were those men, coming for her… Startled, Anna tried to sit up, only to find that she was restrained at the wrists on some sort of gurney. There was an irritating itch beneath her left ear that she was powerless to scratch. "And so the torture begins" she muttered drily, before paling. What if they really did torture her?

Forcing such unpleasant thoughts out of her head, Anna looked around, trying not to aggravate her headache. It couldn't have been a very good transmat if she felt so disoriented. The room was Spartan and sterile, with a door on the opposite wall that seemed to be mocking her with its closeness. Anna tried to work her wrists free of the plastic rings that bit into her skin. Instead of loosening, they only became tighter.

There was a small black dot in the top right hand corner of the room. It seemed so innocuous, but it was too smoothly rounded and conveniently placed to be a mere fleck of, say, paint. Anna wondered why they wanted to have her under surveillance; she was tied down, for Omega's sake. She shot the 'hidden' camera a defiant glare; it made her feel a little better, but not by much.

The door slid open Star Trek style, and in walked Madame Kovarian. Her death black lips and immaculate black suit were the same as ever; but there was one difference. In place of the Eye Drive that marked her as an associate of the Order of the Silence, Kovarian wore a black bandana roughly tied into an eye-patch. Anna's skin crawled at the sight of her.

"Hello, TARDIS" purred Kovarian. Anna raised an eyebrow. "So you know what I am, congratulations" she said sarcastically. Anger flashed briefly in Kovarian's eyes, before she swiftly schooled her features into impassivity. "It really wasn't hard for people as diligent as us to find out there was something unusual about you, TARDIS. Do you mind if I call you TARDIS?" she asked, as if they were old friends.

Kovarian sat down in a nearby chair. Her hands were trembling, Anna noted. "Did you really think we wouldn't notice you? We have ears everywhere, including a quaint little café in London. Baxter's Place, I believe". Anna tried hard not to give away that she recognised the name. That was the café that she and the Doctor had visited after she first found him in the park, all those months ago.

"That's all fascinating, but might I ask what you want with me now?" she inquired, with a faked expression of boredom. "You are the Doctor's TARDIS, faithful to the last. If the child you are carrying is anyone's, it is his. Call it poetic justice, if you will" Kovarian replied calmly; actually, not entirely calmly. There was a definite strain to her voice.

Anna bristled. "You seem to have made a mistake, Kovarian. I have _no intention whatsoever _of letting you turn my child into an assassin" she stated, her voice as low and threatening as she could make it, her amber eyes flashing furiously. Kovarian stood up and adjusted her eye-patch. "Oh TARDIS, I never said I would take your child. You'll have it until the Doctor arrives, that is unless he arrives before you give birth. Then you'll have it for, oh, about fifteen seconds" she informed Anna.

Kovarian then strode from the room, and as soon as she'd left Anna tensed up, gritting her teeth as pain flared through her abdomen. This was the worst false contraction yet, and Anna suddenly realised that it wasn't false…it was the real thing.

The baby was coming.

/

The Doctor stood in the spa bathroom, right where he'd seen Anna disappear, his mind churning. "We're so sorry" Toni was saying, clutching her boyfriend's hand. "Clyde's gone to get the authorities, they can help find Anna, I'm sure" Lydia told him, trying to sound comforting. The poor young man looked so distraught, she thought sadly, and who could blame him?

The Doctor frowned. He was missing something, something important. What had Lydia just said? 'Help find Anna'…he needed to get help, now. "Lydia, you're a genius!" he exclaimed suddenly, hugging her. "Oh, um, thanks…?" she said, flustered. The Doctor ran back to the TARDIS, leaving three very confused people in his wake, and sent the time machine into the Vortex.

Once in flight, the Doctor ran a galaxy wide location search on Anna, and apparently she was right beneath him. _Of course, _he thought to himself, _the TARDIS locator only knows Anna as…well, itself. Okay, forget plan A, fetching her myself. It was a bad plan anyway. I need back up. Search Dr River Song. Oh right, I need to say that bit out loud. _"Search Dr River Song!"

River Song, professor of archaeology at Luna University, and ex-convict of Storm Cage Facility, was celebrating her new found freedom with a nice dig. However, she had inadvertently angered the locals, and despite her best efforts to convince them _not _to chase her, they did so anyway. She heard the familiar whoosh of the TARDIS, which materialised right in front of her.

The Doctor pulled open the door and ended up with an armful of River. "Oops, sorry Doctor. Now then, what's the occasion?" she asked as she got to her feet. The Doctor scrambled up and ran back to the console. "The Silence, they're back. They have Anna" he told her as he punched in a new set of coordinates. River gasped. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes!" he snapped, pulling levers and pressing buttons with a little more force than was probably necessary. River wouldn't be enough, he needed more help.

/

Madame Vastra and Jenny were about to sit down to a lamb dinner when they heard the _vworp vworp _sound that heralded the arrival of the Doctor. Silurian and human took one look at each other and ran into the main hall, their plates left untouched. They were joined by the Sontaron Strax, who was inexplicably holding a whisk. "What is the purpose of this device?" he asked.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Put that down Strax, it's not important right now" she chided. The Doctor stuck his head out of the TARDIS door and pointed to each of them in turn. "You, you and you, grab your sword-y things and stuff and get in here" he ordered. Madame Vastra turned to Jenny. "Fetch my sword and yours, and a shorter blade for Strax" she instructed. Jenny curtsied quickly, before running upstairs.

She soon returned with the weapons, and the Paternoster Gang entered the TARDIS. "Mrs Song, what a pleasant surprise" Vastra greeted River.

"It's just Miss Song now, I'm afraid. Hello, Jenny dear. Strax? I thought you were dead…oh, clone race. Of course" realised River. The Doctor scowled at her from the console. "Yes, thank you Song, but we have more to do than just catch up with old friends!"

Strax looked excited, if a Sontaron could look excited; Vastra and Jenny looked concerned. "Why, what's happened?" asked Jenny. The Doctor didn't reply, busy fiddling with something the console, so River took it upon herself. "The soul of the TARDIS created a flesh avatar for herself, named herself Anna, and she has been kidnapped by the same religious sect that imprisoned my mother and raised me to be an assassin" she explained.

"Oh, and she's pregnant" she then added as an afterthought. "Will this endeavour require the copious use of grenades?" Strax questioned hopefully. Everyone ignored him. "Right, here's the plan. We land the TARDIS within their base, silently and invisibly. We'll all wear one of these TARDIS keys; they're equipped with a low level perception filter to make us less noticeable. River goes with me, Jenny with Vastra, and Strax on his own.

"When one of us finds Anna; black hair, brown skin, quite large in the…mid area, memorise that description you three. Anyway, when we find her just press the button", he tossed two small discs to Vastra, and motioned for her to pass one to Strax. She did so. "Is this a bomb?" he asked suspiciously, and the Doctor sighed. "No, it is not a bomb. Press the button and you'll be transported right into the TARDIS medical bay. Any questions?"

Madame Vastra stepped forward. "Doctor, are you aware of the bases location?" she asked. The Doctor opened his mouth, closed it, and then face-palmed. "I knew I'd forgotten something…but I don't know how to find her! I've tried everything I can think of, I could trace Amy before using the leftover signal from her Flesh duplicate, but this is different, and it's not like I can just ask her…" he stopped pacing abruptly and face-palmed again.

"Of course! Stupid, stupid…shut up a minute, all of you!" he demanded, even though none of them were speaking. Fingers pressed to his temples, the Doctor followed his bond with Anna. He was getting old, he really was, how could he have missed what was so glaringly obvious? They were connected, their souls joined by their impromptu bonding. Deep down, he had always known where Anna was.

His eyes flicked open as he spoke the name of her location aloud. "Demon's Run".

/

As yet another contraction passed through her, Anna bit her lip and tried not to scream out loud. She didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing she was in pain, and she certainly didn't want Kovarian to find out she was giving birth right now. The door opened, but rather than Madame Kovarian, it was a young woman in nurse's scrubs.

The nurse stepped into the room and gave Anna a tentative smile. "My name's Lorene" she said quietly, almost shyly.

"Hello, Lorene" replied Anna. There was no reason to be hostile to the poor girl, after all. She was only following orders and she was just trying to help. "Do you want anything?" asked Lorene, "like a drink or…some gum?" She pulled a stick of chewing gum out of her pocket, which was a rather odd thing for a nurse to carry around. Lorene noticed Anna's puzzlement and elaborated, "I used to smoke, see, and I'm trying to cut down. D'you mind if I…?" she waved the stick.

Anna shook her head. "It's f-aamph!" she half yelled through the shooting pain of a third contraction. Were they supposed to happen this fast? When it had passed, she opened her eyes to find Anna standing beside her bed, finger on her lips.

She spat out the gum and used it to loosen the rings around Anna's wrists, until they were wide enough for her to slip her hands free. "Keep your hands where they are for now, it'll fool them" whispered Lorene. Anna was grateful, but also very puzzled. "Lorene, thank you, but…why are you risking your life like this?" she asked quietly.

The young woman's face became saddened. "My boyfriend left me after I got pregnant, and I had to put my daughter in the care home because I didn't have the money to look after her. I'll never see her again; Madame Kovarian promised she'd get her back for me if I worked for her, but I know she's lying" she explained. Anna patted her hand in pity.

"So you see, I know what it's like to lose a child. At least my Lorna's still alive, but…Anna, you travel with the Doctor. If you can contact him, in any way, keep him away from here. No, you don't understand" Lorene said hastily, as Anna opened her mouth to protest. "Kovarian, she isn't right in the head. I hear her when I pass her offices, muttering to herself…there's some question she doesn't want answering and she'll kill whoever knows the answer".

"The first question; Doctor Who? And the only person who knows the true answer is the Doctor…and me" Anna realised. As the Doctor's TARDIS, as his bond-mate, she was privy to his real name. "I still don't understand, why does he have to stay away?"

Lorene picked up a syringe. "It's just a painkiller" she explained aloud, seeing Anna's wary expression. "There's no aspirin or anything, it's specially formulated". Anna calmed down a little and let Lorene sink the needle into her arm. A nice numbness spread through her whole body. Lorene kept talking, this time in a whisper. "Kovarian says she wants the Doctor to suffer for everything he's done. She wants to use you as bait and…and then murder you _and _your baby in front of him" she told Anna, who paled.

The pieces began to fall into place in her head. Kovarian's lack of an Eye Drive, her apparent instability…the Silence, the aliens, they must have taken her Drive, her memories, but they were still controlling her. Making her think their orders were her own. Being in the clutches of that evil woman had scared Anna; being in the clutches of a woman who was half mad on top of being evil terrified her.

"I have to go" said Lorene. "I'll do what I can to help you…but you mustn't let the Doctor come. Not if you want him and the baby to stay alive". The young nurse then left the room, and Anna's mind was in a whirlwind. _I have to warn him _she decided firmly. _I can't stop that stubborn man from rescuing me, and I don't want to, but I can warn him before he walks right into a trap. _

/

The Doctor was setting the coordinates for Demon's Run when he sensed Anna reaching out to him. _Don't worry old girl, I know where you are and I'm on my way. _

_Thief, listen, the baby's coming and Kovarian is insane, she wants to kill me in front of you- _

_Hang on, the baby's coming? Like right now? _

_Yes, but listen, that's not important right now. You have to be careful, if you get caught Kovarian will kill all three of us, me and the baby first and then you! _

_Right, but…you're giving birth, for real this time? _

_THIEF! Focus! Please be careful and don't get caught. Please, please! _

_Alright, okay, I will. I promise. I'm coming for you, Anna...and this time I won't let you down. _


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Beautiful In Blue 

A/N: There's still the matter of the poll on my profile. The next and final chapter will reveal the gender of the baby, and I will close the poll before I upload that chapter. You still have time to vote but that time is fleeting because, let's face it, I am on a roll.

Chapter Thirty Four 

_Alright, _he told Anna through their bond, trying to sooth her. _Okay, I will. I promise. I'm coming for you Anna, _he paused, _and this time I won't let you down. _He emerged from his reverie to find River, Jenny, Vastra and Strax all staring at him, waiting for what he would do next. "Right! Good news, Anna's definitely alive and definitely on Demon's Run. Bad news, Kovarian's apparently insane, well, more insane than usual, so River, you and me have to be vigilant!"

He sonicked their perception filtered keys, making sure they absolutely could not be detected in any way. True, the filter would not work if they blundered right into anyone… "You remember the plan?" he asked, and River nodded. "Yes, we know. Find Anna, transmat back to the TARDIS" River repeated impatiently. The Doctor nodded and walked down the ramp to the door. He opened it slowly, and peeked out.

They had landed in a cupboard; typical. He pulled out the sonic and unlocked the door, opening a crack and peering through. Several soldiers were sitting around, apparently off duty. The Doctor mimed this information to his companions, before slipping through the door and edging around the room. The soldiers continued to talk and joke with each other; they didn't even notice the open door, let alone the Doctor and his entourage sneaking through their midst.

Suddenly an alarm blared, and the Doctor stiffened in alarm. The soldiers stood up, grumbling, armed themselves and walked out of the door. "It's just a drill" whispered River. The Doctor rolled his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking.

"Sir" said Strax, and they all shushed him simultaneously. "Strax, this is a stealth mission, and since you're incapable of whispering I suggest you shut up" hissed Vastra. The Doctor held up his hand for attention. "No…he should do the opposite. After all, every stealth mission needs a good decoy" he grinned. "Strax, would you do the honours?"

Strax stood to attention and saluted, much to the Doctor's annoyance. "It would be an honour, sir" the Sontaron announced. He walked out of the door, and turned to the right just in time to see the last few soldiers marching around the corner at the end of the hall. He pulled off his perception filter and dropped it on the floor. "Attention, human scum!"

The last Cleric in the line pulled up short, and turned around. He stared at Strax. Strax stared back. Then Strax ran. The Cleric came back to himself, and took off after the Sontaron, yelling "Intruder! Intruder!" His fellow soldiers heard the cry and rushed to follow.

The Doctor waited for the last of the soldiers to thunder past before he ducked out of the break room, and retrieved the dropped key. Hopefully being trodden on by half a dozen grown men and a potato dwarf hadn't damaged the filter, because Anna might need it. Besides, they were quite valuable. He, Vastra, Jenny and River made their way down the corridor. It branched off into two; one route continuing due south, the other taking a right angle to the east.

Madame Vastra gestured to the eastward corridor, to show that she and Jenny would go that way. The Doctor nodded in understanding, and he and River made their way down the southward route.

/

It was ridiculous. She was the physical embodiment of the soul of the TARDIS, the toughest ship in the universe! She'd survived everything from acid to falling down a cliff to _exploding…_how could giving birth possibly hurt more than all that? Anna's eyes filled with tears as she bit back yet another scream, which came out from between her teeth anyway.

Lorene wiped her burning forehead with a cool compress. "You're doing really well, no complications so far" the young nurse said encouragingly. "So far?" Anna asked weakly, sounding rather alarmed. Lorene winced. "Well, giving birth _can _take up to fifteen hours" she began, and Anna groaned, in exasperation more than in pain. _Fifteen hours? _

The air was rended by the blaring sounds of an alarm, harsh and insistent and ear throbbing. "There's been an intruder" said Lorene, and Anna sighed. "This had better be part of his plan" she muttered, before grasping Lorene by the wrist. "Listen, I have one guess who that intruder is and I think you know as well. Find him. He'll be looking for me, you can bring him here. Do that for me, please" begged Anna.

Lorene hesitated, and then nodded. She checked Anna's vitals one more time before hurrying out of the room. Anna breathed slowly, in and out, just like Lorene had told her. She was glad to have met Lorene. When this whole mess was over, perhaps she could reunite Lorene with her daughter.

/

River noticed how nervous the Doctor appeared, and sighed. "Don't worry. We'll find her" she whispered. The Doctor glanced up at her, his attention diverted from his sonic for a brief moment. "I know" he replied.

"Then why do you look so nervous?"

"Because…well, because…I'm a father" he blurted. River frowned slightly in puzzlement. "Yes, but I don't see…oh. She's giving birth, isn't she?" she said, grinning as realisation dawned. The Doctor stopped scanning for danger, stopped following the trail of his bond with Anna, and blushed, wondering how in the name of this lump of space rock she'd figured out. "Women's intuition" she smirked, as if she'd read his mind.

Just then a young woman, little more than a teenager, came around the corner and careened straight into the Doctor. She shook her head dizzily, and then stared up at the face of a man she'd only ever heard legends about; the Mighty Warrior. The Doctor stared at her; then his brain caught up, helped along by a sharp nudge in the ribs from a certain someone, and he clapped a hand over the girls' mouth.

"Don't scream. I'm going to take my hand away now, but don't scream, or shout, or shriek. Okay?" the Doctor whispered to Lorene, who nodded as best as she could with his hand over her mouth. The Doctor lowered his hand; Lorene promptly seized it, and began dragging him along down the corridor. "Whoa, what? What are you…where are we going?"

Lorene ignored the Time Lord, and led him determinedly through the corridors to the cell turned medical bay in which Anna was being held. _I am dragging the Doctor, the great warrior of legend, by his wrist _she thought to herself gleefully. _Of course, I always thought a warrior would dress less…like a teacher and not look so...odd. _

/

Anna was distracting herself from her current predicament by vehemently wishing a swift and gory fate on all who had ever wronged her. "Supervisor, Master, Kovarian, the idiots who _painted me pink, _you can all go rot in Krop Tor and eat rocks and…and…each other and be killed over and over by Ood…" Before she could think of another terrible eternal punishment, the door opened. Lorene rushed inside, dragging behind her somebody whom Anna was very pleased to see. "Thief!"

The Doctor dashed over to her, nearly knocking poor Lorene off her feet in his haste. She stumbled backwards into River, which naturally made the older woman visible to Lorene as well. "What the…were you there the whole time?" the young nurse demanded, alarmed and trying to sound accusatory. "Yes, I was" River replied mildly, "but not invisible. Just unnoticeable".

The poor young woman was obviously still confused, so River obligingly explained that the key around her neck altered Lorene's perception and made her disregard River's presence. She wished she could disregard the way Anna's eyes lit up when the Doctor rushed towards her, the tender way he stroked his thumbs over her welt laced wrists, and the deep kiss they shared as they were finally reunited.

"At least he's happy" she murmured resignedly, much to Lorene's confusion. A shadow stretched over the floor; Lorene gasped and the Doctor straightened up as the tell-tale sound of a cocked pistol reached his ears. Seconds later there was an answering click as River aimed her blaster straight at Kovarian's head, just as Kovarian aimed her own weapon at the Doctor's.

Angling his body slightly to shield Anna, the Doctor stared into his enemy's…well, eye. He wondered why she wasn't wearing her Eye Drive. "Madame Kovarian" he said bluntly.

"Melody, put the gun down" she ordered without taking her eyes off of the Doctor, "_now, _or I will kill the Doctor and his new wife. The bullets in this gun have been steeped in Judas poison, you know. Unless of course, you want revenge, then by all means continue threatening me". River glanced towards the Doctor, who was clutching Anna's hand in a gesture of reassurance and love, and sighed. "I don't want revenge. I'm not the woman you tried to make me into" she said, defiant even as she reluctantly lowered her weapon to her side.

Kovarian pursed her lips. "_Drop_ the weapon, Melody" she said, like an impatient teacher with a delinquent student. "Don't! Don't trust her!" Lorene burst out, shaking her head vigorously at River. Kovarian glared at Lorene. "Get back to your station, girl. This matter doesn't concern you".

Lorene was clearly terrified, but she swallowed and stood as straight as she could. "Y-yes it is, Madame Kovarian. I'm a _nurse, _for goodness sake. I don't know anything about the Doctor, if he's good or evil or anything, but I do know...I know that a prophecy is no excuse to end an innocent life! I only agreed to work for you to get my Lorna back, because she was in one of _your _group's institutions, and I never agreed to help deliver a baby just so you could _murder it five minutes later_!"

Panting, shocked by her own outburst, Lorene took a stumbling step backwards. Kovarian swung her gun towards the helpless girl, and Lorene flinched; "I'm your enemy, Kovarian. If you're going to point that gun at anyone, it should be me" said the Doctor. Slowly, she aimed it back at his chest. "You know if I shoot you, you won't be able to regenerate? Then there'll be nothing to stop me from taking care of your precious TARDIS and her freak of a child".

Up until now, the still defenceless Anna had wisely kept her mouth shut, but those words needled a nerve. "Our child is _not _a freak. The only freak here is you, Kovarian; or did they make you forget that as well?" she asked goadingly. Kovarian's visible eye twitched; her hands were trembling. "You can stop this right now, Kovarian" said the Doctor, "you have no reason to kill Anna".

"Oh, but I do Doctor. The prophecy must not come to pass. The First Question must never be answered" replied Kovarian.

"Right, the First Question, the answer to which is supposedly my name; and yes _I _know the answer, and Anna probably does as well but the baby doesn't, the baby isn't even born yet – speaking of which, how are you holding up dear?" the Doctor asked pleasantly. "Quite well actually" Anna answered calmly, almost casually.

River sighed in exasperation, Lorene stifled an involuntary snigger; Kovarian just scowled. "If I let it live, if I let _you _live, you might tell the child your name".

"Then again, I might not".

"That's not the point!" she spat. "You couldn't have just died on that beach, could you? Because of you I'm reduced to near poverty, hiding out in an _abandoned _base with a handful of soldiers and a weakling nurse! When the Silence discovered you were still alive, guess who they took it out on?"

Kovarian reached up and yanked off the bandana, revealing a scar all around her right eye where the Eye Drive had been torn from her skin. The pupil was much larger than its counterpart from so many years in darkness, giving Kovarian a disturbingly lopsided gaze. The Doctor grimaced slightly in disgust. "If the Silence took your Eye Drive, why do you still remember them?" asked Anna.

"Because I have notes on them, you fool. The Silence left me disgraced, unemployed and it is _all your fault_" snarled Kovarian. "Now I can finally have my revenge; I'm going to kill your precious little family, Doctor, and then I'm going to kill you, I think I'll burn you alive, just like you did to your own people. Say goodbye to your family, Doctor, because _this is IT!" _

A gunshot rang through the room. Lorene screamed in fright, the Doctor moved to shield Anna…and Kovarian crumpled to the ground, dead.

All eyes turned towards River, who was breathing heavily, her blaster still pointed at Kovarian's corpse. "River…" the Doctor began. "Don't you 'River' me" she sighed, holstering her gun and walking over to him. "Let's just get out of here". The Doctor nodded and looped his arm through Anna's; River looped her arm through his. "Wait!" cried Anna, "Lorene, come with us".

Lorene hesitated. "Are…are you sure?" she asked. Anna smiled. "I don't like leaving my friends behind" she told her, and Lorene grinned. A soldier appeared in the doorway, staring at his dead boss and the group by the bed and wondering why on earth he'd bothered getting out of his own that morning. Lorene tossed her scrubs at him and ran over to River, gleefully announcing, "I quit!"

/

As soon as Lorene grasped River's outstretched hand, the Doctor pressed the button on his recall transmat. The foursome reappeared on board the TARDIS, inside the medical bay. "How are the others going to get back?" asked River.

"Don't worry, there's a safety on these things, when one is recalled the others are as well" the Doctor explained; no sooner had the words left his mouth than Strax, Vastra and Jenny appeared, looking rather disorientated. The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Vastra and company, this is Anna and Lorene. Lorene, this is Vastra, Jenny and Strax. You remember them, right Anna?"

Anna nodded, and then suddenly screamed in pain. Oh for the love of Krop Tor, she'd forgotten she was giving birth. "Ah, right, baby, baby's coming, right now, our baby!" the Doctor rambled. Anna snapped back irritably, "right _now _they're _your _baby, and I don't care if that doesn't make sense!"

Lorene put her fingers to her lips and whistled, loudly. "Okay, everyone, just calm down. Now, who here knows how to deliver an infant? Other than me, of course" she asked, raising her own hand. Strax raised his hand. "_No_" Anna said abruptly; then she remembered herself and added, "I mean to say, Strax, fifteen doors down this corridor on the left there's an armoury. Have fun". Much to her relief, Strax believed her and left.

"I can't say I blame you for wanting rid of him. Just stay calm as best you can; and the rest of you, shoo. The last thing she needs is an audience" claimed Lorene. Madame Vastra turned to River, and informed her that she and Jenny discovered a lack of tactical organisation and supplies in the asteroid base. "Let's go to the console room, and then the Doctor and I will explain everything. Come on, Doctor" said the archaeologist, tugging the Doctor out of the medical bay.

/

A/N: I think saying 'Krop Tor' instead of 'Hell' as an expletive should be a thing. Who's with me?

(Awkward silence)


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

Beautiful In Blue 

A/N: The poll is now closed, and will not be available on my profile anymore. Thank you to the four people who voted and the final results are 3 votes for a girl and 1 vote for a boy. So yeah, they're having a girl.

An extra huge thank you to InvisibleBlade, James Birdsong, ceeare, Alix Cohen, iPinkNinja, Paper Crease, Orchidellia, SmithDawgEleventy and all of the anonymous reviewers. You guys have encouraged me so much and I appreciated each and every single one of your reviews.

Chapter Thirty Five 

Despite her short span of experience as a fully qualified nurse, Lorene liked to think of herself as very professional. And a professional should appear calm and unemotional at all times, or so she'd always been led to believe, but Lorene couldn't help but grin at the baby in her arms as she suctioned its lungs so it would start breathing. The baby hiccupped a few times and then wailed loudly.

"That's it, have a nice big cry" she praised as she cleaned off the amniotic fluids with a soft damp cloth, "you want your mummy, don't you? She's a girl, and congratulations" Lorene told Anna, wrapping the baby in a soft white towel and settling her in Anna's arms. Anna supported her daughter's head in the crook of her left elbow, and stroked it gently with her right hand. "Hello there. Oh, look at you…you're the most beautiful thing I'll ever know" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

The sound of Anna's heartbeats and the comfortingly familiar sense of her mind soon lulled the baby, whose nearly ear splitting wails lowered in volume. Lorene put on a stethoscope and placed the disc on the baby's chest; she shrieked at the coldness of it. "Sorry, love" Lorene winced sympathetically, "I should've warmed it. Okay, let's see…her breathing's regular…hmm. Her heartbeat is a little too fast" she said thoughtfully.

"If it's her left heart you're listening to, then yes, that one does beat faster than the right one" explained Anna, only for Lorene to stare at her in confusion. "She…she has two hearts?"

Anna nodded. "Or at least she should do. Hope is a Gallifreyan, like the Doctor and I" she told Lorene, who nodded in understanding, before shifting the stethoscope to listen to Hope's second heart. Sure enough, she could hear the lub-dub, lub-dub of the extra organ, and a fainter, quicker lub-dub-lub-dub in the background. "That's amazing. Why is the left heart faster? If you don't mind me asking" Lorene inquired, taking away the stethoscope disc.

"Nonsense, it's the least I can do. You see, when Gallifreyan's first evolved, they were essentially identical to humans inside and out. Then they were exposed to the Time Vortex, which increased their life span and brain size. Bigger brains led to faster heart rates to keep them supplied with blood and oxygen, but one heart can't beat fast enough on its own, so they evolved a second one" Anna explained to the fascinated nurse.

Lorene found a scanner and checked Hope's blood pressure, body temperature, weight and length. "She has a lovely name" she complimented. Once she was satisfied that Hope was healthy, and the baby had calmed down, Lorene offered to fetch the Doctor, and Anna gave her directions so she wouldn't get lost.

/

River was showing Madame Vastra some of the TARDIS' inner workings, Strax was still immersed in the armoury and the Doctor was pacing back and forth. Jenny tried to reassure him. "I'm sure she's just fine, Doctor" she said, "besides, you have a link with in her in your mind or something, right? At least that's what Professor Song says. So if Anna was in trouble you'd know, right?"

The Doctor smiled wistfully. "You're right, I'd know if she needed me" he agreed. It wasn't entirely a lie, but the whole truth was that he could barely sense Anna's mind in his own. She had raised her mental barriers so he wouldn't feel her pain, the ridiculous wonderful woman.

, They all looked up as Lorene came into the console room. "Doctor, I thought you'd…oh. Oh, my…" she paused on the edge of the ramp and stared around the console room in awe. The Doctor grinned. "It's impressive, isn't it? Sorry, what were you saying? Has something happened? Is Anna okay?" he questioned. Lorene tore her eyes away from the console and smiled reassuringly at him. "She's fine. They're both fine".

"What?"

Lorene's smile became a grin. "Come and meet your new daughter" she invited, beckoning him to follow her, before turning on her heel and walking back down the corridor. The Doctor just stood there, mouth agape, trying to turn her words over in his head. "_What_?" he said blankly. With an exasperated roll of her eyes, River walked over and ushered him up the ramp after Lorene. Jenny and Madame Vastra followed them.

As they neared the medical bay, the Doctor felt the little tickle of the baby's mind on the edge of his own. Anna was sitting in bed, looking dishevelled and exhausted and utterly delighted. She beamed up at the Doctor, letting her mind melt into his. The Doctor hurried over and perched on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

He peered down at Hope's sleepy visage, and gingerly stroked a finger down her little arm to her tiny hand. Her small, chubby fingers curled tight around his longer one as she yawned and opened her wide brown eyes. She was real. He'd hardly been able to believe it at first, but here she was, real and alive and…_his daughter. _He giggled softly. Anna reached up with her free hand and wiped away a tear from his cheek.

The Doctor smiled and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. He looked up at Lorene. "Thank you, for everything. If there's anything you need, anything at all, just let me know" he told her. "Your daughter" said Anna, "you agreed to work for Kovarian to get her back. The Doctor can get her back for you" she explained. Lorene looked at the Doctor hopefully, and he smiled. "Of course I can" he promised, "I just need to know your daughter's name".

Lorene pulled out a prayer leaf from her pocket and showed it to him. 'Lorna Miller' was stitched onto the leaf. "I named her after my cousin" she explained. The Doctor sighed sadly as he remembered the brave young Cleric who'd died trying to help him. "Lorene Miller, I promise you, I will find a way to let you be with Lorna" he said gravely.

"That's very kind of you…back in the Gamma Forests, we have a tradition. You're helping me, so I'll return the favour, and spread the word" announced Lorene. The others looked at her in puzzlement. "About you, I mean" she reiterated, gesturing to the Doctor. "I'll tell my people you're not a warrior, not the man they all think you are".

"Thought I was" the Doctor corrected. "We need to stay in the shadows. So by all means spread the word, Lorene Miller, but keep it in past tense, okay?" Lorene nodded and laughed. Madame Vastra hadn't wanted to interrupt the family moment, but she couldn't help asking, "What is the child's name?"

Anna and River answered at the same moment. "Hope" they both replied, before looking at one another in surprise. Anna laughed and River joined in, followed by the Doctor, Lorene and the rest. Hope gurgled indignantly, not wanting to be left out, and that just made the adults laugh even more. Madame Vastra was the first to recover. "Come on my dear, we should be returning home; but first we must find Strax, we can't have him wandering around the ship" she reminded Jenny.

Thanks to Anna moving the armoury room closer to the medical bay, it didn't take them long to track down their Sontaron ally. River offered to take the three of them and Lorene home, but the Doctor did so instead. It would give him the opportunity to work out how to reunite Lorene with Lorna. "I'll stay with Anna and Hope then. Listen, when you've dropped them off, can we visit my parents? I want to introduce them to my new niece" said River.

One clumsy salute and teasing "Yes ma'am, Auntie River!" later, the Doctor had ushered the others out of the med bay. River slid into a chair on the right side Anna's bed and smiled down at Hope. "She's a lovely baby" she complimented. Anna sighed contentedly and kissed Hope's forehead. "Yeah, she is" she agreed.

River smiled, and gently talked to Hope. Hope blinked up at her, just a few hours old and already curious. "You're a lucky baby, Hope. You're the only kid in the universe who'll be able to say they were conceived _and _born in a TARDIS" River joked. "But really, you are lucky. You have a very large home, universally large in fact, and brilliant parents" she added, smiling at Anna. Anna smiled back.

/

It was Saturday, and Amy was working from home. In actual fact she wasn't working, but instead sitting in the bathroom clutching a thin white stick. Her emotions ranged from delight to longing to fear and more. "Amy? I'm back, love" Rory's voice floated up the stairs. Amy heard him dump shopping bags on the kitchen counter, and then he called "Are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine. I'm in the bathroom" she called back. Rory noticed the slight tremble in her voice, and he knew his wife well enough to know that something was up. He trudged up the staircase and peered around the door, half expecting to see an Ood sitting on the toilet seat. Instead he saw Amy sitting on the lid, looking up at him through her fiery red hair.

Rory crossed over and knelt down in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "What is it?" he asked. Amy held up the pregnancy test. Rory went cross eyed trying to focus on it; at first all he could do was gape. "That's…is that a...?" Amy nodded. Rory gulped. "Is…is it positive?" he asked, hardly daring to hope. Amy burst into tears. "Oh, Amy. It's going to be alright, I promise, we'll work through this…wait. Hang on, this reads positive" Rory said in confusion, looking at the test himself. "If it's positive then why are you crying?"

She stopped sobbing and glared at him. "Because I'm all hormonal, stupid face; now shut up and kiss me!" she demanded. Rory pulled her to her feet and obliged. Inside he was jumping up and down for joy. They broke apart at the tell-tale sound of the TARDIS materialising downstairs. "He'll want to know about this" said Amy, suddenly too excited about giving the Doctor her news to be angry about his long absence from their lives.

Rory had a bone to pick with the Doctor. When they came downstairs, and the Time Lord rushed from his box with a cheery "Hello, Ponds!", Rory answered his greeting with a punch in the jaw. The Doctor nearly fell back inside the TARDIS, his arms windmilling and grabbing at the edges of the door. Amy rounded on her husband with fire in her eyes. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for breaking my little girl's heart" he replied. The Doctor, who had managed to regain his footing, shook his head and then winced. "I didn't…Rory, I don't know what she told you but River divorced me, it was her idea!" he protested, rubbing his jaw. Amy's eyebrows flew up. "Divorced? Why, because of Anna?" she asked.

The Doctor frowned. "River and I divorced because otherwise my loyalties would've been divided between both River and Anna. I care about both of them, Amelia. Divorcing was the only way that I wouldn't have to choose between them in the long run" he explained. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and turned to Rory. "I understand you're upset, I don't blame you. But I swear I'd never do anything to hurt River, she's become as dear to me as the both of you have".

Rory looked at him for a moment, judged that he was being truthful, and then nodded. "Sorry about the punch" he apologised, "that was stupid of me, and petty. So err, what brings you here? You seemed rather excited about something before I, uh…" he trailed off awkwardly. Before the Doctor could divulge his good news, Amy beat him to it. "The last time we saw you, Anna was pregnant. She's given birth, hasn't she?" the redhead asked excitedly.

"Pond, you ruined the surprise!" protested the Time Lord. "Yes, Anna gave birth. Hardly an hour ago, in fact. I have a daughter!" he told them, smiling widely and bouncing on the balls of his feet. Amy squealed in delight and threw her arms around his neck, and Rory clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations, all three of them grinning like loons.

At Amy's insisting, bordering on pestering, the Doctor led them to the medical bay to see his daughter. He doubted he'd ever get tired of thinking, saying or hearing those words. _His daughter! _When they entered the bay, Anna and River were chuckling over some anecdote. The Doctor walked straight over to Anna like he was magnetised. He dropped into a chair on her other side and smiling at Hope upside down (from her perspective). "Did you miss your daddy?" he asked. Hope gurgled. "What do you mean you didn't know I was gone?"

River stood up and embraced both her parents. "Hello mummy, hello dad. I take it the Doctor has told you about Hope" she surmised, moving aside to let them near the bed. Rory recognised the adoring expressions on both new parents' faces; he realised pretty quickly that the young woman cradling the infant was Anna. "It's nice to see you again, Anna. I see you've regenerated" he said politely.

Anna looked up at him, smiling broadly, her amber eyes shining with joyful tears. "Hi, Rory, Amy. I'd like you to meet our little Hope" she said fondly, cuddling the baby close to her. Hope's unfocused gaze slid over them, and they both aww'ed. "She's adorable" smiled Amy. Rory nodded in agreement. "You should have come to us sooner; I could've helped deliver her…come to think of it, who _did _deliver Hope? Because I don't really believe that the Doctor did" he said, jerking a thumb in the Time Lord's direction. The Doctor pouted.

"He didn't" confirmed Anna. "You remember Lorna Bucket. Hope was delivered by her cousin, Lorene Miller. It's a long story"…

/

Anna sighed in her sleep and the Doctor pulled her in closer. He'd lost her before by leaving her and now he was loath to do so again. He heard a whining cry coming from the nursery next door, and extricated himself from the bed to go and investigate. As the Doctor stepped through the arch way that connected Anna's bedroom, technically also his bedroom, with Hope's nursery, the cries became louder.

Hope was lying on her back, squirming and crying. She stretched her little arms out, grasping reflexively for someone to hold her. "Shh, hey, shh" the Doctor whispered. "It's okay, it's alright sweetheart, it's me, your daddy, and I'm here". He picked her up, cradling her against his chest, and opened his mind to hers. He received a strong impression of confusion, anxiety and most of all, hunger. "You're hungry, okay, and upset. That's it, shh. I'll take you to mummy, yeah?"

He carried her into the bedroom and balanced her in one arm, using his free hand to shake Anna awake. She stirred and mumbled sleepily, before hearing Hope's whines and sitting up properly. "What's wrong?" she asked. "She just woke up, she's hungry" explained the Doctor. Anna yawned and pulled off her loose shirt, and then sat with her back against the headboard.

She looked at the Doctor expectantly, and he passed Hope into her arms, blushing. Hope began to feed straightaway, and her high pitched whining cries were reduced to mere snuffling in a matter of seconds. "How long have I been asleep for?" asked Anna. The Doctor did a quick calculation in his head and replied "nine hours".

"In that case, I'll stay up with Hope. I don't think she likes sleeping on her own in the nursery" said Anna. The Doctor shook his head worriedly. "No, I'll stay up with her, you need your rest" he protested. Anna smiled and proposed, "tell you what, why don't you bring her cot in here, and leave it by the bed?" The Doctor nodded and went to fetch the cot.

When Hope had had enough of feeding, and her eyelids were heavy with sleep, Anna laid her down in the cot and rocked it gently. Their little girl curled up and fell fast asleep in moments. The Doctor stood by the cot, smiling fondly down at the slumbering infant and at Anna, who had laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes once more.

He doubted that everything would be plain sailing from here on out, but he was so very happy.

/

A/N: The story has ended, but the series never…okay, the series probably will end, but not right now. So keep your eyes out folks, for the sequel _Paradigm Lost. _


End file.
